Angel
by EdwardsLily
Summary: Unsuspecting boy meets all to suspecting girl. Edward Cullen is a human. Bella Swan is a vampire. This is their story. I apologize - on indefinite hiatus.
1. Love at First Sight

**So here goes. It's... interesting. I hope you like it.**

I hate it when, in stories, days start out normally. Main character wakes up. Main character eats breakfast. Main character goes to school, expecting a normal day. That's pretty much what happened to me that day – and it turned out to be the day that would change my life – my eternity, actually. I hope. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

There was actually something new scheduled to happen that day. If you live in a small town – as I do – news pretty much travels quickly. We'd all heard about how there would be a new girl moving to town. Isabella Swan would be my age – seventeen. She was supposedly related to Police Chief Charlie Swan, although she would be getting her own place to stay. That was somehow legal.

Anyways, she was coming to school that day, and that was all I knew. Alice kept predicting that something big would happen that day, but I didn't really believe her. Even though she had the uncanny ability to guess correctly, I thought she was exaggerating that day.

I got to school late because Rosalie had been very slow in the morning, trying to get her hair just right. Alice had fretted over a small eyeliner smudge, or something of the sort. My brothers and I had learned long ago not to pay much heed to our sisters. Well, their girlfriends. My sisters. We had piled into the Volvo, and I had driven to school impatiently. To my surprise, Mike Newton was waiting for my brothers and me by the edge of the parking lot. He didn't usually talk to us.

"Have you seen the new girl yet?" he asked, his pale face aglow with excitement under his spikes of light blonde hair. "Ben said she's gorgeous."

"We just got here," I murmured, sighing in disappointment as Emmett found a group of his football friends and disappeared. I knew it was only moments before Jasper ran off to find Alice, and would leave me alone with Mike. Sure enough, we caught site of a group of her friends and he was gone. "Have you seen her?" It was awkward for me to make small talk. I wasn't particularly social, compared to my sisters and Emmett. Jasper and I were very similar in that way, but at least he had Alice. I just had far too many girls trying to fawn over me. I wasn't interested.

"No. But Ben says she's not really into anyone yet, so I'm keeping my hopes up. I mean, I'm pretty okay if you compare me to Ben, right?" He unconsciously ran a hand through his hair and straightened up as a group of girls walked by us. None of them was a new girl.

"Sure," I said, not really listening. "Although, if I were you I would hold out for Jessica Stanley. That girl is already all over you."

He seemed surprised. "Really?"

How to get rid of him? "Yeah, Alice said that she was definitely interested. Hey, Mike, I'm sorry, but I've got to run. I have Government first hour, and I really don't want Jefferson to have a reason to get mad at me for being late."

Mike shrugged, still seeming shell-shocked. "Sure. I'll see you later, man."

I nodded absently, and turned around in the other direction. I really just wanted to get away. I was running late, though.

For some reason, I couldn't focus through class that day. I kept thinking about what Mike and Alice had said – both how Isabella was supposedly incredibly beautiful and how Alice expected something big to happen today. If I were to put two and two together, we would hit it off instantly. I knew it was improbable, although… No, I couldn't let myself think about how other girls reacted to me. That was irrelevant.

I was slightly annoyed with myself when I realized that I had been dwelling on the idea of myself and a total stranger falling in love. I wasn't that shallow. I definitely knew better. And Alice wasn't always right. But something kept telling me – Isabella would be special.

Ben Cheney leaned over to talk to me in English. Sometimes I wondered if people only did that to feel charitable. Or if they felt they had to, because of who I was related to.

"Have you met Isabella yet?" he asked, seemingly oblivious of the fact that Angela Webber, two seats down, was staring at him with a strange mixture of adoration and frustration. She liked him, I thought. She wanted him to like her, and not Isabella. She thought it was totally unfair, but she wouldn't say anything because that would be completely out of character for her.

"No," I whispered back, hoping that the teacher wouldn't notice.

"She's amazing," Ben said, almost reverently. "I think you should ask her out."

I was stunned. "Me? Why me?"

Ben shrugged. "I think the two of you would be really right together. I'm not exactly sure why."

That seemed like it would be the only answer I would get out of him. Now I was _really_ anxious to get to lunch. I hadn't had any classes yet with Isabella, but the way people made her sound… she was a goddess. It was wrong of me to be so curious, to want to stare at a complete stranger.

I walked into the cafeteria with Rosalie, who was strangely silent. "Everything all right, Rose?" I asked her. I had a sneaking suspicion – a horrible fear of something that might be wrong. All the boys weren't talking about her today, as they might usually. They were talking about someone else, a shiny new toy. They were all horribly interested in Isabella Swan instead of her.

"No." She spoke through clenched teeth and took an apple for her lunch tray with a bit more ferocity than was actually required.

"Uh-oh." Emmett appeared behind us, wrapping an arm around his Rosalie. "Rosie's mad."

"Why?" Jasper asked, appearing out of nowhere. "Is it because everyone is talking so much more about Isabella Swan than about you today?"

I guessed, being blood siblings, that he was entitled to know her so much better than we did. I had suspected it myself, but I didn't think Rose was actually that superficial. She scowled at Jasper. "I don't really care," she sniffed, as Emmett stroked her hair. "I have Emmett. I don't need everyone else's attention."

I turned away, disgusted, and went to join Alice at our usual lunch table. As a general rule, we sat alone. We had only moved here a few years ago, and I got the feeling that people didn't like us that much sometimes. Sure, Emmett was a jock. Rosalie was pretty much the center of every boy's X-rated fantasies. Alice was… Alice. But we still didn't quite fit in.

"Hello, Edward," she said, not looking up as I sat down beside her. "She's sitting over there, if you hadn't noticed."

"What?" I unscrewed a bottle of lemonade, confused.

"Bella Swan."

"Isn't it Isabella?"

She turned to me, licking strawberry juice daintily from her fingers. "She prefers Bella. I think you should go talk to her."

I followed her gaze across the room, to where a brunette girl sat, all alone. She was breathtakingly beautiful. She stared down at her food from under her long, dark lashes. She only had an apple and a can of soda sitting in front of her. Both were untouched. Her expression was 

vacant – her perfect lips pulled down into something resembling a slight frown. She rested her head in her hand, and her hair spilled over onto the table.

I felt instantly drawn to her, and not _just_ because she was so perfect. It wasn't her gorgeous figure, her tiny waist that drew me in. It wasn't her pretty face, though I could see why that would intrigue so many of the other boys here. No, I just felt this really strong urge to get to know her.

"Actually…" Alice's voice was frustrated. I looked at her questioningly. "Maybe you should leave Bella alone. I don't know why. I just don't see things… working?"

I had a brief image of Bella's heavenly face going black with anger and hatred. And then everything was back to normal. "I saw that," I murmured to Alice.

Her eyes wide, she looked at me. "It was so much clearer than normal," she said. She sounded frightened. "Usually it's just a feeling. I _saw_ it."

"I did too," I reminded her, taking another sip of lemonade. I didn't really care about this vision. I wanted to go talk to Isa – no. Bella.

"No, Edward." Alice wrapped her tiny hand lightly around my wrist. "It's not worth it. You'll see her later today."

"I will?" Bella looked up, and her deep, dark eyes distracted me from whatever Alice was trying to say.

"Snap out of it, Edward. Yes, you will see her later. Next hour, I think."

Next hour? Biology. The class where the only empty seat was right beside me. I looked over at her again, and saw her looking at me. Or maybe it was Alice.

I pulled my head down onto the table, feeling embarrassed, confused, and conceited. "Alice, what's happening to me?" I muttered into my arms. "I don't even know the girl."

She giggled a bit. "Edward… I think it's called love at first sight."

**Please review it? It'll make me feel good.**


	2. A Loss For Words

As Alice requested, I didn't go sit with Isabella at lunch that day. I watched her while I ate, though, oblivious to the conversation that my siblings had around me. I got the feeling that they were talking about me, maybe even making fun of me, but I ignored them.

Bella was too fascinating.

She looked around the cafeteria broodingly sometimes, her dark eyes looking bored and uninterested. She sometimes looked at me and frowned, then looked away very quickly. I felt myself flush every time her angelic gaze landed on me. Other than that, she did not eat. She did not drink. A few people approached her, but seemed too intimidated to ask her if they could sit with her. I guessed they were intimidated by her perfection, but I couldn't be sure.

I got to Biology before Bella did. I fiddled nervously with the collar of my shirt, and ran a hand through my hair before I stopped to ask myself what I was doing. Was I really no better than all the other sheep-like boys here who fawned after her like a shiny new toy? Feeling like an idiot, I straightened my books on the counter and opened my notebook to a blank page. I couldn't help but to look up as a tall, graceful girl walked past where I sat, a designer bag slung over her shoulder and a swing in her step. She walked up to Mr. Banner's desk, a paper in hand.

"Hello, Mr. Banner," I heard a voice say. It was absolutely the most beautiful, perfect voice I had ever heard. It was low and musical, smooth and silky. Mr. Banner looked up and blinked, looking dazed by the beauty that stood before him. "I'm the new student here," she said, while beaming to show a smile of perfectly straight, white teeth.

"Ah," he said shakily, shuffling some papers on his desk in a pitiful attempt to look politely disinterested. "Isabella Swan?"

"It's Bella," she said with another easy smile. "You need to sign this, correct?" She pushed the paper towards him.

"Uh, yes." He scribbled something on the paper. "Here you go, Bella. Why don't you take that empty seat next to Mr. Cullen? Edward, raise your hand."

Stupidly, I waved at Bella, who turned to me with her eyes narrowing into slits. I put my hand down, wondering if she thought me an idiot.

"Thank you Mr. Banner." Her angel's voice was suddenly cold. She slipped the paper brusquely from his grasp and walked towards me a little more forcefully. I could feel the eyes of every boy in the room turned enviously on my table, and went very red, wishing I could sink into the floor. Bella sat next to me stiffly, her face turned away.

Class started dully. I knew Mr. Banner was talking about something, but I had a very hard time paying attention. I was too absorbed by the perfectly still figure that sat beside me, refusing to look at me. Her profile was beautiful. Her back was beautiful. I listened to her quiet, even breathing. I watched her keep her strange black eyes permanently trained on the teacher, even though nothing he was saying could have been that interesting.

Something about her was just so compelling. I was in half a mind to reach out to her, to touch her and see if she was real. But almost instantly when the thought crossed my mind, she turned to glare at me. I shrank back. Her eyes were cold and hard, and although the fierceness made her face all the more beautiful, I had never seen such an intimidating expression.

I did not speak a word to Bella during the whole class.

Walking out, Mike Newton came to me and said, "So, how did it go with Swan, Cullen?"

I turned to frown at him. No need to mention how his mentioning of Bella's name made me feel slightly weak at the knees. It was enough for him to talk about her in a way that sounded so disrespectful. "Mind your business," I snapped, feeling a bit shaken.  


"If you don't want her, can I have her?" Mike asked. "Because truth be told, she didn't seem all that into you. I hate to bust your bubble, Cullen."

"Mike, I really don't want to talk about this right now," I said, trying to walk faster to get away from him. I wanted to be alone to think about Bella. To think about how even in anger she made me feel drawn in like I had never been drawn before. To think about how, in all my seventeen years, I had never quite felt such a pull to any other human being.

"Are you touchy?" Newton still bounced annoyingly in front of me. "Did she say something?"

"No." I pushed past him and swept into my next class angrily. I don't even know what happened in class that day. It was last period. I had an excuse. I also spent most of the time thinking about Bella.

"How did it go?" a quite voice from behind me asked.

I spun around, and saw Alice leaning against the hood of my car. "Did you make a complete fool of yourself? Because I'm guessing it didn't go too great."

"You're partially right." I sighed, unlocking the car for her. She hopped lithely into the passenger seat. "It didn't go too great. But it wasn't my fault. I don't think she likes me much actually."

"Why not?" Alice asked, her eyes gleaming. "What's not to like?"

Shut up, Alice. "Not like that," I mumbled ineloquently, looking out the windshield intently like I was really interested in knowing where our siblings were. "I wonder what's keeping them."

"Don't get all distracted, Edward. Tell me, what happened?" Alice glared at me, her chin jutting out sharply and her lips in a dainty frown. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, Alice. That's just it. She just… seems to hate me."

"Did you actually talk to her, or are you just making that assumption?"

I fiddled with the dial of the radio, half-hoping to tune her out. "I didn't… I…" I realized how stupid she was likely to think me if she knew I hadn't said a single word to Bella. "Um…"

Jasper slid into the backseat, frowning. "Why so gloomy, Edward?" he asked, as Rosalie and Emmett squeezed in after him.

"Bella doesn't like him like he hoped she would," Alice quipped, the model of a perfectly lovely sister. "But he won't tell me what happened."

"Bella?" Emmett whistled. "The new one? Why would she like Eddykins? She's too hot for him." He scowled at Rosalie, when she smacked his arm, and then kissed her hair.

I rolled my eyes and then began backing up out of my parking space. "I never said that there was anything wrong." I spoke the words through clenched teeth. "Maybe everything was just fine, and I don't feel like talking about it."

"You wouldn't even tell me?" Alice asked, her lower lip trembling devastatingly.

"It's none of your business." Rosalie sounded muffled as she buried her face into Emmett's massive chest. "And if it were something was willing to share, I think he would." Before then, she had been uncharacteristically quiet. I guessed I knew what was still bothering her.

"I don't know why I should tell you." I started driving slowly and carefully down the slick road, still unused to wetness after we moved here from Arizona two years ago. "If anything happened, it would be between me and Bella. I don't know why you would think that anything did, because… I'm me. And 

she's… incredible."

"I think Edward's in love," Jasper said, predicting my emotion uncannily.

"Excellent choice for a first love, my brother," Emmett grinned. "Sorry, Rose," he added apologetically. "No one is as gorgeous as you, of course."

"Alice, I call shotgun for tomorrow," Jasper complained, leaning away from the kisses that Emmett showered onto Rosalie's face, neck, and shoulders. "I can't stand being back here with these two ridiculous lovers."

"And so you would put me through that hell?" Alice asked, smiling back at him angelically. "That's hardly fair, my love."

I groaned. "Will everyone just stop?" I asked. "This is my car. I don't want too much affection in it. It's not made to be beat up."

"Woah, Edward. What do you think we'll be doing?" Emmett seemed rather alarmed. I mentally slapped myself for the image my words had inadvertently caused.

"That's not what I meant," I protested, flushing.

"I'm sure," Rosalie said skeptically. "Because you're poor little innocent Edward, who no one will ever notice being perverted. You're going to stalk this Isabelle girl, aren't you?"

"Bella," I heard myself correct automatically. "And, no, I'm not. I'm just…" I found myself at a loss for words.

"Aha." Alice beamed back at Emmett. "What'd I tell you? I win the bet."

**Please note that most of the story is posted on twilight archives, and because the link won't save for some reason, it's twilightarchives dot com (just use your brains) and then this part is added to it: /viewuser.php?uid5150.**

**All I have of it is posted there, anyways - and I only really put this up here as a sort of... um... promo thing.**

**That was confusing.**


	3. Sibling Love

**Dear whoever actually reads this.**

**Sorry it's been so long, I've been really busy working on NaNoWriMo (nanowrimo(dot)org, check it out). I've had this written, and part of chapter four, and I was going to be content only to put it up on TwilightArchives(dot)com. Apparently, there's still a demand for it on here. So we're giving this a shot.**

**Here's chapter two. Sorry it's short and unedited. I have lots of real life things to do.**

**Maybe if you give me ten(?) reviews I'll post more soon.**

**I'm not dead, I promise. Just busy.**

I had never before seen Alice wrong, but I thought I might be seeing it now. For the next two weeks, Bella and I barely spoke a word to each other. Sometimes she said hi, and for some reason my heart always started racing. Some days I would say hi, and comment dryly about the weather.

"Cold today, isn't it?" I might say.

She would look at me with her big eyes and smile, which sent my heart into near palpitations and made me really wish I could see what was behind her curious grin. I wasn't able to read her like I could read most people, and this annoyed me.

"Wet, too," she smirked, before turning back to her work.

"Wet, yes. Well that's to be expected since we do live in the rainiest city in the continental United States." And then I would snap my mouth shut before I could babble on any longer because I was embarrassing myself and she probably thought I was a total moron.

My siblings thought it was hilarious.

"Did you see Edward today before fourth period?" Emmett announced grandly to the general public of our little cafeteria table.

"Nope." Rosalie didn't look up from the mirror in which she was trying to shape her already perfect eyebrows. "Why?"

Emmett waggled his own eyebrows at me and I snorted. "Eddykinz is in love, Rose," he sighed blissfully.

"Isn't that nice?" I sniffed.

Alice smirked. "And you were just about to tell me exactly why I was wrong, Edward. You really need to think about what you say before you say it."

"Isn't she uncanny?" Jasper pecked her lightly on the cheek.

"Is anyone actually going to tell me what Edward was doing?" Rosalie asked, snapping her compact mirror closed and dropping it into her makeup bag. "Or should I go find someone else to sit with?" She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Mike Newton, who was very blatantly looking at her backside.

"I think I'd rather you stay." Emmett wrapped a giant arm around her. "He was just being… um…"

"His normal charming self," Jasper said, with so much sarcasm that I could practically feel it surrounding us. "Except he sort of lost his tongue when she bumped into him and asked how he was."

"I said I was coming down with a cold," I snapped. Here I was again, snapping for no reason at my siblings.

Rosalie smiled uncomfortably. "Wow. I guess she's really getting to you, Edward." Her words sounded a little strained – slightly pained. I saw a spark of something not so happy in her eyes.

"Rose –" Jasper extended a hand as a gesture of comfort, but she shied away from it.

"No, I'm fine. Really. If Edward wants to mooch over the school heartthrob, that's none of my concern. Good for him." I couldn't help but to pick up on the venom in her voice, even though I wasn't sure if anyone else heard it.

"Do you have to be so self-centered?" Alice asked good-naturedly. "I'm sorry he's not mooning over you, since it's obviously upsetting you so much."

Emmett gagged on his drink. She glared at him.

"Not like that, Emmett. Grow a brain."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Is anyone going to try to say anything _productive_ about this, or am I supposed to just listen to you all bicker and help me absolutely none."

"I guess you need to ask for help next time." Jasper caught my eye behind Alice's back, and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, so what if I _am_ asking for help?" I suggested. "Hypothetically, of course. I can't even talk to her without making a fool of myself. As Emmett so _kindly_ pointed out."

"Whoa, Edward." Emmett looked at me wide-eyed. "If you'd just come out and said that you wanted to talk to her without making a fool of yourself we could have avoided all this. What do you want to say?"

Dammit, why did I let myself talk to them? They were all utter morons sometimes.

"We are here for you, Edward," Jasper said. "That's what family is for."

I smiled at him weakly. "I don't really know what I'd like to say," I said, choosing my words carefully. "I want to know more about her. I want to be at least on friendly terms with her. I mean, she seems to have accepted a few other friends, hasn't she?" I nodded over to where she was sitting, surrounded by Tyler, Eric, and Jessica. All of whom were social climbers. And Bella was ignoring all of them politely, so it seemed like they had given up on conversation. "Albeit she doesn't really look like she's their friend, but still…"

"I had the very same problem when I met Rose," Emmett declared, kissing her neck teasingly. She swatted him away.

"If I remember right, you couldn't actually shut up."

"This isn't helping Edward," Alice said quietly, glaring at them. "We should be helping Edward."

I groaned, putting my head down on the table. "I don't want to be some sort of charity CASE,, Alice…"

"I think she's interested," Jasper said suddenly.

I didn't look up."Who or what are you talking about, Jasper?"

"Isa – sorry, Bella. She doesn't look interested in her lunch buddies, but she's looking over this way."

I hardly dared to breathe when I raised my head. I had assumed that she was staring off into space when I had looked at her last, unwilling to see where her eyes went, unwilling to be sucked into her strange, hypnotic beauty in front of my siblings. But sure enough, her eyes landed vaguely where my head was.

"Oh," I managed.

Emmett grinned big. "Maybe we don't have so much work to do after all. I wouldn't say she looks like she's madly in love yet, but she seems to be expressing some interest in your lovely blushing beauty, Edward."

God no.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" I muttered. I got up to throw my lunch away and left that cafeteria, wanting more to wander the grounds then to put up with them right now.


	4. Bella

**I am so sorry this took so long to post. I'm doing NaNoWriMo right now, and I was in a play, but I got sudden inspiration, and so I decided to take a break and write this. I promise I'll try to update more.**

**But I'll not blabber. Without further ado... Chapter Four of Angel... and it's Bella's point of view!**

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****Bella POV**

I couldn't say what compelled me to move to Forks, but I wasn't hating it quite as much as I thought I would. Charlie proved to be a better "dad" than I could have hoped for – he was, for the most part – polite, helpful, and unobtrusive. Sometimes, one of us slipped out of character and things got awkward, but I suppose that, under the circumstances, that was inevitable.

So were the boys here. I didn't need to know exactly what they thought of me, because it was painfully clear on their faces. Always the same. For the past forty years, boys hadn't changed a bit. I barely noticed them anymore – not like how they noticed me. I barely knew that they were there. Save for one of them.

Edward Cullen. He stood out from all the others because I hated him so much. I found him overwhelmingly… something. Perfect, maybe? Attractive?

Mouthwatering?

How dare he challenge me? I'd come here to get away from the things that threatened me, and they were things that were far more troublesome than a human… boy. And yet, it was he who haunted me now.

I did my best to ignore him. My best, it turned out, consisted of sinking myself as low as I could. I allowed a group of humans to assimilate me.

In my defense, not all of them were awful. Angela Webber was a nice girl, if not a quiet one compared to the shallow, moronic Jessica Stanley. Mike Newton, while pushy and overly flirtatious, didn't sing to me like the Cullen boy. So he had his redeemable traits, too.

I didn't find any of the others particularly remarkable, which was comforting. All of them were shallow and petty. I used to be like that.

Sometimes, though, I just couldn't take another minute of Jessica sighing over my hair or of Lauren talking about boys (very obviously in front of Tyler, who she knew fancied her). Like today, when I found myself wandering the courtyard.

And running right into the Cullen boy.

I felt slightly awkward when he fell to the ground and I just stood there, watching him, but I didn't have it in me to offer my hand or to make myself fall over next to him.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, as he stood and wiped himself off. "I am… really sorry about that."

The chilly air whipped delicious color into his ivory cheeks and I had to look away. "Don't be," I mumbled. After all, he'd been the one to fall over.

"Okay." We stood there awkwardly for a moment. Part of me expected him to ask me about the weather again. Instead, he said, "How are you doing today, Bella?"

I stared at his absurdly handsome face, and found confidence in his sparkling green eyes. This wasn't the awkward Edward I knew. Fuck his adolescent hormones.

"I've been worse." I had to stop myself from saying something awkward like "I've done worse," or, "I've smelled worse."

He opened his mouth, and then closed it, shaking his head. It wasn't difficult to guess what sort of question he bit back. It would either have something to do with my rudeness or with my looks.

"Do you have something to say, Edward? You look like you're choking."

He flushed pink again. "Not at all. I was just… thinking about something else." His cheeks grew brighter.

At least he didn't say anything. He preferred to stare in silence. How courteous of him.

"I'm sure you were," I said, in a low growl. Really, I hadn't hated a human this much in a very long time.

Though he didn't appear to be frightened, his heart rate accelerated. "I was thinking about how obnoxious my siblings are, actually."

I thought about Charlie, and then stopped because it hurt too much. "You have siblings?" I asked flatly.

Edward frowned. "Yes, four foster siblings. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett."

Now that I thought of it, I remembered a charming pixie of a girl in my Spanish class, a sullen blond boy in my History class, a stunning blonde girl in my Art class, and a burly boy in my Gym class. Two of them bore the surname Cullen; all of them sat at lunch with Edward. How had I not connected them to him?

"Fascinating." As politely as I could, I walked away, knowing how much of his blood I was going to have to bare in Biology.

He didn't follow after me. I think he might have been the first one to stay behind. I wondered why he didn't.

And I hated that I cared.

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**Chapter End Notes:**

**Please review? It makes me write more. I don't care how much you love or hate it. Please let me know. Everything that you think about it.**


	5. Quien Es Ella?

**A/N Thanks you guys for reviewing. It really meant a lot to me. I almost didn't post this until next month, but I felt like I owed you. Turns out, this is a really bad, really short chapter. There would have been a Chapter 5.5, but I think Chapter 5.5 might turn out to be longer than I though, so I'll make it Chapter 6. Or prologue to Chapter 6. Sorry about that. I promise you, things are going to get much more interesting really really soon.**

**And that's not even an exaggeration.**

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I stood outside, my breath coming in short, visible puffs of steam, as I stared after Bella Swan. How sad was it, that this was the closes we'd come to having a conversation? I desperately wanted to ask her if she had a problem with me and, if so, what it was. But that would be rude of me. And Emmett would never get off my case. Neither would Alice. I somehow doubted that Rosalie and Jasper would care quite so much, but knew they'd join in the fun of teasing poor, innocent Edward, too.

The bell rang – I could hear it from outside, even. Begrudgingly, I trudged back into the warmth. I had Biology next, which scared and excited me. And then scared me all over again that I was excited.

I literally almost ran into Mike Newton at the intersection of two hallways.

"Sorry," I muttered, having run into my second person in ten minutes. How awkward.

"Hey m an, this one's on me." Mike punched my shoulder amicably. I tried not to wince. He fell into step with me, and we walked to Biology in companionable silence.

I assumed it was companionable. Did it count as being companionable when I desperately wanted to ask him about Bella?

Bella didn't come to class until literally the very last second before the bell rang. Her hair was windswept, and she seemed to have more color in her cheeks. Slightly. I wondered how long she'd stayed outside.

She swept into the seat beside me without glancing at me, shaking back her magnificent mahogany tresses in a majestic movement.

Mike Newton glared at me from across the room as Bella snapped a hair band around her fresh pony tail. The look on his face was incredulous, but directed at me. It was the kind of look that said, "What the hell, man? How are you not affected by that? If it were me, I'd have asked her out by now. You prude. Are you even human?"

I turned around quietly.

Mr. Banner started passing out slides for today's lab, and Bella flashed me a tight smile – one that did not show any teeth. "Long time no see, Edward."

"I really am sorry about that." My stomach began to tie itself into knots, and I felt my face redden again as her half-smile widened into a friendly grin.

"There's nothing to apologize for."

Dazzling Bella. She made me dizzy.

"Thank you Mr. Banner," said her voice. I blinked, and saw Bella set our box of slides on the lab counter between us. I realized I hadn't paid any attention to the lab directions, but she _did _seem to be in a good mood. I decided to take my chances.

"Um, Bella, I think I may have missed it when Mr. Banner gave us directions. What are we doing?"

Unexpectedly, she narrowed her eyes and she slapped a slide onto the stage of the microscope. "Examining prokaryotic reproduction."

Again with her growling voice… I glanced at the slide quickly, then bent over my lab sheet and began to write. Bella stared at me with an unfathomable expression in her golden eyes.

***

After class, on my walk to my locker, somebody shoved a folded piece of paper into my hand. I unfolded it in Spanish class.

_Edward,_ read Alice's cramped, spidery writing.

_Carlisle just texted. He has a conference in Port Angeles this weekend – he's leaving tomorrow. Jazz and I are going shopping, but Emmett, Rose, and Esme all said they want to go with him. He says you should come, too, and I agree. I have a good feeling about this. I couldn't tell you why, but I am absolutely positive. Go._

_xoxoxo_

_Alice_

I refolded the note and tucked it back into my binder. Port Angeles… why not? I didn't really have a social life to speak of. If Alice had a good feeling about this, then why the hell not?

It might even serve as a distraction.

From Bella.

"Mr. Cullen?" Mrs. Sanchez called. "Please, pay attention. How do you say, 'Who is she?'"

"Quien es ella?" I said automatically.

The question loops in my head. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

_Quien es ella… Quien _ES_ ella?_

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**A/N Please review, even if you hated it. Reviews make my world go round.**


	6. Weekend Trip

**Hey guys, it's me. Guess what? I'm actually updating! Your amazing reviews made me really want to write some more. And, FINALLY, thanks to ellibobelli, I have some idea of direction. So there's a (hopefully) good plot that really kicks into gear next chapter. Are you guys ready for this? Can you handle this!??!**

**Okay, I'm kind of losing my mind today. This chapter, and the next two or three, are partially dedicated to ellibobelli (the major dedication will be a certain special chapter, Elli), and partially to everyone who reads this. If I get a REALLY amazing review you could have your own, personally dedicated chapter, free of charge! (About halfway through typing that sentence, I got that commercial voice in my head, and I purposely wrote it to sound stupid).**

**I need to stop rambling. Without further ado... the story. **

**P.S. Yes, I did put certain parts in here for a certain reason. If you're not asking by the time you review I'll know I did a bad job at throwing you for a loop.**

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**BPOV**

When I got home, Charlie's Cruiser sat in the driveway. I took a deep breath, glad I'd made myself go hunting during lunch. Of course, after my talk with Edward.

Shaking the thought of him from my head, I pulled my car smoothly around Charlie's and jumped out into the rain, dragging my book bag with me. He waited for me inside, flipping through the channels on my TV.

"You're such a man," I said, sweeping down to peck him on the cheek. His scent sent a knife down my throat, but I ignored the pain.

He jumped, and I heard his heart race. "Jesus, Bells, you scared me. You gotta give me some warning, kay?"

I chewed my lip. I really shouldn't do that to him anymore, I knew. He wasn't as young as he used to be. The thought made my eyes sting, but of course, no tears came. Smiling for him, I settled down on the couch beside him, my head on his shoulder. He felt nice, warm. "Sometimes I think you only come for my TV," I accused lazily.

"There's an idea." Charlie laughed lightly, switching off the flat screen. "But clearly you don't have enough self-confidence. I miss you, Bells."

My smile became slightly forced. "I miss you too, Charlie. I hope things are going to get more normal soon. I can _almost_ guarantee that. But… not for a little while, still."

"How was school?" he asked, chuckling at the mundane question. My answer never changed, and he knew that. It hadn't changed in about forty years.

"Do you really have to ask?" I sighed, leaning my head over the back of the couch, staring at the door in front of me. It looked no different upside-down than it did right side up – it was still a door, keeping me here, keeping me from all the conflicting things outside. Or was it keeping them out?

"Guess not." He stared at me for a moment. "You seem stressed."

"Just a little." I couldn't even say what stressed me out so much. It couldn't be Edward Cullen. That was preposterous. I thought of Edward as nothing more than a boy who asked too many questions and smelled far too mouth-watering for his own good.

"Crap," he said, under his breath.

"I can still hear you, you know," I told him, still not looking away from the door. I know that, were I still human, the blood would rush to my head, and I would be dizzy when I sat up. I sat up, almost wishing for the dizzy, vague feeling – a distraction. From what, I couldn't say either. "Just spit it out."

"It's just going to stress you out more." He looked at me with genuine concern. It made my heart hurt. _I_ was supposed to be the one taking care of _him_, not the other way around. I was the indestructible one. He… was just the same, fragile Charlie I knew and loved.

"I don't care. Tell me."

"You wanted me to keep an eye on the Cullens for you, right?"

I stopped breathing.

"Bells?"

I forced myself to nod. The last thing I wanted to hear about right now was anything that shared the same name as Edward Cullen, but I supposed I did ask him. "Go ahead, Charlie. I did ask you. Why?"

"I had a short chat with Dr. Cullen's wife today." His face grew appreciative at the memory. I could tell he liked her – not like that. He appreciated her. But I didn't have time to listen to this.

I nodded impatiently. "Esme. Go on."

"She said that they're all heading up to Port Angeles this weekend, for Dr. Cullen's work. All of them except for two of their kids – Alicia and Jasmine? Something about a shopping trip."

"Alice and Jasper." I could see why Charlie would find that weird. Jasper was a guy's name. "I think they're kind of… an item."

His eyes widened. "An item? But they're siblings."

"Adopted siblings." I sighed, thinking about my conversation with Edward. Then the meaning of Charlie's words sank in on me and I jumped off the couch, landing halfway across the room in a split second. "Port Angeles?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice level. This was bad. Very bad. I couldn't put Charlie in danger of watching me get angry, though. I had to be as far away from him as possible. The thought of him getting hurt…

"Yes," he said, barely above a whisper, his eyes wide. I could tell I frightened him.

"And they're splitting up?" I put more effort into speaking normally. I couldn't stand to see him repulsed by what I was, and I didn't want to terrify him either.

"Yes," he repeated, more normally. "Why?"

I forced down the growl that rose in my throat. "I'm going to be away for the weekend. But I'll come home and check in with you, I swear. I don't want to leave you alone, or anything." I barely concentrated on what I said, my mind racing through lists of options, cross-checking names and places against my memory.

"Bells? I can take care of myself. I am a forty-five year old man now."

I threw him a smile and then went back to my lists. "No, seriously. I'll get Katie to stay with you. You like Katie, right?"

"Sure," he said, turning faintly pink. It didn't really bother me that he found my friends attractive. So did I.

"Great. That's one less thing to take care of. I'll have Max go after…" But I didn't finish the sentence aloud. There was only so much that Charlie _needed_ to know, and that's what he liked – being on a need-to-know basis.

I'd have Max go after Alice and Jasper – he'd have no problem following them. And then I'd take Port Angeles myself. I didn't trust anyone else to do the job. I wasn't quite sure why – I knew that many were as good of fighters as me – but I had to take this job. I just had to.

Charlie stood. "I guess I'll take off, then. You seem busy."

I glanced at him apologetically. "You don't have to go. I could call for pizza or something…" What was it that mortals liked to eat? I wasn't sure…

"No, I really should take off. I'm watching the game with Billy tonight. I really just came over to tell you about the Cullens."

I came over to hug him. He still seemed so small, so fragile in my arms. "I'll be back by Sunday night, I promise."

He patted my arm. "I trust you. Take care, though, Bells. I don't like you running around all alone out there."

"I won't be alone."

"Okay." He pulled himself out of my arms. "Love you, Bells. Drop in Sunday, if you want."

I followed him to the door. "I love you too, Charlie." I stood, watching, as he walked to his car. I watched until he drove away. Then I closed the door again, and leaned against it, shutting my eyes like I could shut out reality.

I had a long weekend ahead of me.

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**DUN DUN DUN! All the vampires in here are named after real people, with, of course, the exception of Bella. But I think she's real too. A review will make me possibly write the next chapter by the time I go to bed. Can you stand the pressure?**

**Goodness. If someone can tell me what's wrong with me today, I'll be forever grateful.**


	7. Attack

**Here it is, the "much anticipated chapter." Actually, Elli, this IS The Chapter. Well. There's several The Chapters. So this is one of The Chapters. It IS an anticipated Chapter. Whatever. Here's Chapter 7 of Angel. I know at this point it follows Twilight very closely, but it's about to get different.**

**And this is dedicated not only to ellibobelli but to Kodi for the most flattering review I've gotten so far. That's not from one of the people I know personally, of course. Kodi said, "I need to know what happens next. I've become addicted to this series. You have a great talent. You could practically be stephenie meyer." What a sweetheart. I love you too, Kodi, even if you lie.**

**And now... I'm done ranting.**

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EPOV

Carlisle unloaded Rosalie's last bag from the trunk of his Mercedes and we stared at the small mountain of clothing in astonishment. "Rose…" he warned. "You're carrying some of this in, you know."

She just laughed, and Emmett flexed his muscles. "It's okay. Em can take care of it for me."

"I can't believe this." I seized my solitary bag and followed Esme into the hotel, unable to stand another minute of their useless banter. It had been going on since we got into the car – everything from Rosalie's stilettos to whether or not steroids were moral. I just… couldn't take it.

Honestly, I hadn't been able to stand anything in the past twenty-fours. I hadn't seen Bella in exactly that long. I knew I was hopeless, but some part of my male adolescent mind couldn't tear itself off her. Damn hormones were making me crazy. And I'd sworn that I wouldn't be as bad as any of the sheep-like boys at our high school. I didn't plan to be as flamboyant as Rose and Emmett, or as flirty as Alice and Jasper. But something about Bella made me absolutely crazy.

In a way, I was kind of glad that Alice wasn't with us on this trip. She read me far too well – better than most of the others did. She would understand all too well that something was up. She'd probably even guess what it was. She did tend to be more observant.

Esme noticed my preoccupation. "Edward, dear?" she asked, catching my eye in our reflection on the elevator wall. The lighting and the all-around mirrors made me slightly dizzy.

"Yeah?"

"Everything okay?" Her reflection's eyes narrowed with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I might go for a walk, after I put my stuff away." Just to get away… or something. I needed to be alone. Some distraction Port Angeles was. Seemed like leaving Forks didn't get my mind off _her_.

She pulled me to her in a gentle, one-armed hug. I hugged her back awkwardly, not really into the embrace. It felt empty.

The bell on the elevator dinged and I hurried out into the deafening silence of the padded hotel hallways. All hotel hallways have that same heavy, thick, overbearingly-warm-in-an-attempt-to-feel-cozy atmosphere. I enjoyed the way that the wheels of my suitcase made deep grooves in the thick eggshell carpet.

Esme handed me my door key silently, knowing me well enough to realize that I needed to be alone. I found my room quickly and let myself in, switching on the lights.

The room was, as far as hotel rooms go, relatively large, comfortable, and bland. The queen-sized bedspread was green. The carpet was brown. The chairs and walls matched with leafy paisley patterns. It was fairly unremarkable. I rolled my suitcase into the corner and took off without saying goodbye.

I took my car part of the way – I'd driven here in with Rose and Emmett so that there was room for Carlisle, Esme, and the bags in the Mercedes. I didn't drive far, though, because even in the chill of mid-November, the air was beautiful.

I got out of the car and started walking.

I hadn't realized how late it was getting – my watch only read seven o'clock, but as winter inched ever closer, the sun darted further away. The little game of the seasons entertained me – like a game of cat and mouse – but it made for a hellishly dark walk.

I tried to stick to the areas of Port Angeles that I knew well – I knew the bookstore, I knew the little Italian restaurant I would have stopped at if Rosalie hadn't demanded we go out for Chinese before leaving, I knew the little dress shop that Alice talked me into going to once, before she decided that Port Angeles's shopping was not comparable to the shopping she could get in Seattle. But somehow, after wandering too far down the boardwalk, I found myself hopelessly lost.

I didn't mind it so much at first. As a rule of thumb, I didn't get lost. I had a better sense of direction than most of my siblings, so, unworriedly, I turned back and tried to retrace my steps. It wasn't so easy. I'd wandered through a few alleyways – they seemed intriguing when I saw them. But as reality began to sink in on me, I wished I'd stayed at the hotel. And my cell phone was still in my bag.

Damn.

I quickened my pace. It was completely dark now, which scared me. But I saw a light up ahead, and I jogged towards it, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw three people standing in the light. Even from fifteen feet away, I could smell alcohol.

"Hey," one of them slurred. A guy. He had a deep, boozy voice that made my heart start going a mile a minute.

I didn't turn around, but began to back up slowly. Very slowly.

"Hey, don't run away," a shorter, fatter man said, throwing a bottle at away. The sound of breaking glass echoed down the alley, and beer splatters darkened the wall. All three men turned towards me.

One of them was tall, narrow, and graceful. Another – the one who'd spoken first – was medium height, medium build. Then there was the stout one. I couldn't make out their faces in the dark, but their silhouettes staggered drunkenly in front of the dim light of the bar.

"I was just leaving," I said, my throat dry.

This kind of thing didn't happen to boys. It was girls who got raped in dark, deserted alleys. Not… boys. They must have had some other intentions. Which didn't make me any happier.

"Come on, we weren't gonna do anything but show you a bit of fun." The tall one laughed raucously, and I stepped back again. Too far. It was too dark. I tripped over an empty cigarette box and fell over, banging my head on the grimy, uneven cobblestones.

They laughed harder and moved to close the gap between us. I tried not to hyperventilate, because if I didn't panic they wouldn't see me as a threat. Right?

But my head spun, and I could feel myself struggling to hold on to consciousness. Until something happened that jerked me awake instantly.

With a piercing screech, a new figure appeared out of nowhere, flying over my head and barreling into the men. I caught a glimpse of long dark hair flying out behind the figure, the outline of a perfect figure and a gorgeous body. Then the person – thing –growled, snapping at my attackers, who shuffled back from her, breathing hard.

I pulled myself to my feet and stood against the wall, barely daring to breathe as the girl pounced over and over again, slamming the men into the wall.

Then one of them screamed horrendously, and I barely closed my eyes in time as a head detached from a body and rolled across the alley. And blood spattered the walls.

"Oh my god," a familiar voice whispered. "Oh god."

It couldn't be. Not Bella. No. My terrified mind was making up things under stress. That _had_ to be it. But then I heard a sob, and was positive it was her voice.

I opened my eyes cautiously, to find her pressed up against the wall, staring at the body crumpled at her feet. The other two men didn't dare to move as she watched the corpse. The bloody corpse.

"Blood," she breathed.

"B-Bella?" I stuttered.

Her eyes flashed to me, glowing brilliantly. I thought for a moment that they looked red, but then they turned pitch black. "Edward." She didn't say my name like I was used to – condescendingly, tolerantly, silkily and perfectly. She said it flatly, like she teetered on some ledge, afraid of falling, afraid of making too sudden a movement.

So it was her.

One of the guys on the ground chuckled nervously and she pounded the wall angrily. "Edward, get me out of here," she said, the trembling in her voice barely repressed by her self control.

"What?" I squeaked. This was a nightmare. This had to be a nightmare.

"Move your scrawny gay ass and get me out of here!" she screamed, whirling on me. I didn't see my Bella in her face. I mean, I didn't see the Bella I knew in her face. I saw someone clinging desperately to the final vestiges of sanity, looking for an escape.

Gay?

"I'm not sure where my car is," I managed.

"I'll take you. Just… try not to let me come back here…" She growled. "To these _monsters_."

Shuddering, I peeled myself off the wall, taking a cautious step in her direction. She clenched her fists, but took a few deep breaths. They had to be calming her down, right?

"This way, I think," I said shakily.

The men on the ground stared at us silently as Bella stared at me, breathing slowly in an out, clenching and unclenching her fists. Then she nodded and followed after me without a word.

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**Don't tell me it's short because I have a BPOV on the way.**


	8. Slumber Party Part 1

**Hey all. Bet you didn't expect this. Haha. I like this chapter. Possible fluff (?) soon?  


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BPOV

I made Edward lock the doors before he even started the car. I knew it wouldn't do anything – there hadn't been any real danger in the first place – but I knew if I acted panicky, he would settle down. And he _needed_ to settle down. I couldn't stand another moment of listening to his heart thump out jaggedly mouthwatering rhythms. Especially not when I was alone. In a car. With him.

He fit the key into the ignition with shaking hands as I tried to concentrate on something other than him, other than the judgment I knew would be in his eyes when I looked at him. I overreacted tonight. I'd been so busy thinking about the other bad things out there that I didn't stop to think about what I was doing, to check and see how much danger Edward _really_ was in.

And then I saw the _blood_.

The car started moving, and he looked over at me cautiously. "Bella?" I folded my hands tightly together in my lap. If I could squeeze them as strongly as the thirst that threatened to overpower me, I'd have an outlet for my frustration, for the fire in my throat.

The tension was unbearable. I tried to lighten the atmosphere without needing to breathe another breath of the pungently aromatic air. "I didn't know you were gay, Edward."

He stared at me with wide eyes. I saw his eyes flicker to the blood that stained my shirt, spattered my hands. The blood I was trying my best not to lick off my skin. "Gay?" he asked again.

I rolled my eyes, forcing a smile. "Edward – that was a gay bar you were at."

He slammed down on the break and looked at me incredulously. "A _gay_ bar?"

"Yes, Edward. A _gay_ bar. Where gay men go?"

He started the car moving again, saying nothing. But then he saw me watching him intently – too intently, perhaps – and grimaced. "I'm not gay, Bella. I got lost."

That explained it a little better. But I couldn't help cracking a smile anyways. "Couldn't tell from how much Mike Newton talks about you." Actually, Mike did talk a lot about Edward, but it was never very positive. I remembered that from the little bit of Mike's ranting that I actually absorbed.

"Does he?" Edward said vaguely. I'd have given anything to know what he thought of me at that moment. "Because he talks a lot more about you, I'd be willing to bet."

"Touché," I murmured.

"Do you want me to…take you back to the hotel, or something?" Edward asked, after a pause.

I hadn't really had a plan. I just needed to get away from there. But staying with him until that point didn't seem like a bad idea. It gave me more time to calm down, to stop thinking about going back there and finding the blood again. I wasn't sure I could take that. "Sure," I said.

"Do you have a way to get home?" he asked.

After all this time, he was still concerned about me? He'd just seen me rip a man's head off. For God's sake, didn't the boy have any decency? "Yes. I'm all set."

"Okay." He pulled into the lot of the hotel and I followed him out of the car.

"I think I'll walk you in, if that's okay." I just needed to stop thinking about the alley. Maybe being in a bright, clean setting would clear my mind. And it wasn't as if I wouldn't be circling the hotel all night, keeping an eye out for real threats. I might as well go in and get it over with.

"You don't have to…"

I put my hand over his mouth, but just briefly because I heard his breathing pick up, heard his heart start racing. "I want to. It will make me feel better."

He gave me a strange look, like he was reading past the façade I tried to keep up. He probably was. I'd been far from acting like "myself" all night. But he got out of the car and I followed him inside, sticking to his side like a vulture.

I noticed the bellboy eye me appreciatively, but ignored him.

Edward led me upstairs – we took the elevator, which was hellish – and paused when the doors dinged open. "Are you, um, coming?"

I hesitated for a split second. I shouldn't. I should get going. I'd seen him safely inside, and that had been my mission from the start. But someone else made my decision for me, when a young woman with a soft, kind face, airy, gingery curls, and a bathrobe, walked out of her room and saw Edward.

She gasped.

Now that I thought about it, he looked pretty bad. His clothes were torn up and dirty from his fall, some of the blood hit him, too, and his hands were scraped from the stones underfoot.

Then Mrs. Cullen saw me.

"Oh my goodness," she said, clutching the top of her robe shut more securely. "I think you both had better come explain yourselves."

Grudgingly, I stepped off the elevator. "Hello, Mrs. Cullen," I said, as smoothly as I could, laying on as much charm as I could in hope that she'd be distracted from the way her son and I looked right now. "I'm Bella Swan."

"Yes, I know. Charlie Swan's daughter." She barely noticed, looking around distractedly. "Carlisle!"

A young man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a perfect physique stepped out of another door. "Yes, Esme?" Then his eyes landed on us. "Oh. This is interesting."

Slowly, as if they heard all the nonexistent commotion outside, Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen came out of their rooms, too.

What was it with these Cullens? All of them were inhumanely beautiful for mortals. I couldn't help but to think how perfect they would all look as vampires, especially Rosalie. And… Edward.

"Why don't you all come into our room," Dr. Cullen offered, stepping aside to hold the door open. "I think you both have a bit of explaining to do."

I shouldn't have come. Why didn't I just stay outside? This was going to be bad, I could tell. "Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, I am _so_ sorry," I began.

Mrs. Cullen laid her hand on my arm. "Hush, Bella. It's fine. And please, call me Esme."

I shook her off anxiously, following Emmett into his parents' bedroom. Rosalie and Emmett moved to sit on the couch. Edward flopped down on the bed, looking drained. Esme went over to sit in the desk chair. I stood awkwardly, not really belonging here, as Carlisle closed the door.

"Who gets to start?" he asked mildly, coming into the room and sitting on the edge of the desk, right beside Esme.

"I'll start, Dr. Cullen. It was all my fault."

He raised a pale, slender eyebrow at me. "How is that?"

I needed a story, and I needed one fast. "I was out walking, and I got lost. I wouldn't have minded if I hadn't been alone. I only just moved here, so I don't know Port Angles very well. It was getting dark, and I knew I was in a bad part of town. But Edward was there, and he helped me get away safely." Better to make it sound like I was the damsel in distress. Then Edward was the hero of the story, and I wasn't the monster.

"How did he do that?" Emmett said skeptically. "_Edward_?"

Shit. Did I really know so little about his character that I would make such a huge blunder?

"It's called an adrenaline rush, Emmett," Edward sneered. "They're fairly common. You should Google it."

"Maybe _you_ should Google the likelihood of _you_ having such a big one that you can save a girl like Bella," Emmett snapped back.

"Enough!" Carlisle shouted. They both stopped instantly.

The power he welded over his adopted children amazed me, especially since he couldn't have been ten years older than them.

"It sounds like you did a very brave thing, Edward," Esme said soothingly. I had no problem imagining her as the kind of mother who baked cookies and let you cry into her apron at the same time. "You saved a life tonight."

My insides writhed with guilt, but I said nothing. Instead, I shot a quick look at Edward, who looked at me with wide eyes. I desperately wanted to know why he covered me. Although, I thought, eyeing Emmett, he might have just wanted to save face.

"Do you have a way to get home tonight, Bella?" Esme asked, turning to me.

I froze. I didn't want to lie to this woman. Something about the mere idea made me feel horribly guilty. "Um, not exactly." What could I tell her? I planned on running laps around her hotel all night? I didn't see that one going over too well.

"Why don't you stay here?"

Because I can't stand another minute of being with Edward. "It's fine, really," I insisted. "I can find a way home."

"Absolutely not. That is out of the question, dear." Esme tried to look fierce, but she was too sweet even to come close. I couldn't turn that down, could I?

"Esme," Rosalie said huffily, "there's no space. Emmett and I are in a room, you and Carlisle are in one room, and I don't think you want Bella to sleep in Edward's room."

"Emmett can move into Edward's room and, Bella, you can sleep with Rosalie."

"No!" Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward all shouted.

"I'm not sharing a room with her," Rosalie said nastily.

"I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm gay sleeping with my brother at night," Emmett said, winking at me.

I looked away, mildly perturbed."I can just sleep on the floor, or something…" I offered awkwardly.

"Edward can sleep on the floor in his room and Bella can have the bed," Carlisle said definitively.

Emmett raised his eyebrows at Edward suggestively. "Letting the lady sleep on the bed. How _kind_ of you, Edward."

Rosalie smacked him, snickering. "Poor Edward. He got the bad end of _that_ deal. What bummer." They both made their jokes too quietly for Carlisle and Esme to hear on the other side of the room. But I heard them, and so did Edward.

The tips of his ears turned delicately pink. "I'm going to put on my pajamas right now, if that's okay." He hopped off the bed and stalked away, still flushed.

As Rosalie and Emmett got to their feet and started out after him, Emmett stopped to whisper into my ear. "Careful with that Edward, Bella. He's quite the lady's man."

Then he, too, left. I turned to Carlisle and Esme, who smiled at me encouragingly. Shaking my head, I left the room to go find Edward.

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**Please review. I'm sure I can make this slumber party interesting with the right motivation.**


	9. Slumber Party Part 2

**Sorry it's been a while. My computer is disconnected from the internet. Tis sad. But I'll try to type another chapter or two tonight. I'm really excited about where this is going.**

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**Chapter Nine**

EPOV

Bella came in just as I buttoned the top button of my pajamas. I whirled around to see her standing in the door, smirking. And I blushed.

"Hello, Edward," she said quietly, not moving from the doorframe. Her eyes – they looked gold again – darted quickly around the room, resting on me, on the bed, on the floor, and back again.

"You can have the bed," I offered quickly, running a hand through my hair and eyeing the carpet. It really didn't look so bad. As far as carpets went, this one seemed fluffier and softer than the average.

She frowned. "No, you have the bed."

I was taken aback by the steel in her voice. "No. I insist." If there was one thing Carlisle had taught me, it was chivalry. "I have no problem with sleeping on the floor."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Please, Edward."

Her voice was cold, hard. Her eyes flashed like they did when she was clearly very angry with me. I shivered unconsciously, and she seemed to notice.

"No, Bella. Please. You must sleep on the bed. Carlisle said so."

She glared at me for a moment, and I thought she was going to fight me. I was prepared to keep fighting, and then I thought about the men in the alley. Maybe fighting Bella wasn't the best idea. Her clothes were still stained bright red with the blood of the man she killed.

I froze as she stared. But then she melted around the edges and sighed.

"Fine." She collapsed back onto the bed, but did it gracefully.

"Rosalie might have some pajamas you could borrow," I suggested awkwardly, snagging a pillow and dropping it onto the floor, thinking of the creepy factor of sleeping in a puddle of someone else's blood.

Bella gave me The Look again, and I sighed.

"You should sleep, Edward. You look dead on your feet."

"You should sleep too."

"I'm not tired."

How bold was I feeling right now? I pursed my lips. "Could I talk to you then, instead?" I waited, trembling, for her response. I didn't want to piss her off.

Her bone-white face paled slightly. "Edward, if it's about the alley…" Her voice shook. She curled her legs up and rested her chin on her knee, staring at me anxiously. "I'm really… sorry about that."

Bella sounded genuine. And not like she was about to rip off _my_ head. My heart rate dropped a level and I leaned into the pillow. "No. I'm… I'm sure that's fine. But _why_?"

She blinked. "Why? Not… not _how?_ Not, _are you crazy, Bella?_ Not _what the hell are you doing with me you freak?_"

"No. _Why_?"

"Why what?"

"Why…" It sounded stupid to me. "Why did you bother? I'm not going to ask why you took it that far" – we both winced – "but why would you even _try_ for me?" You hate me.

"I don't hate you."

Did I say that aloud? I blushed like a man. "It seems that way, too."

She sighed. "Edward…"

"What?"

"I –" she seemed like she was ready to say one thing, but changed her mind. "I don't hate you. I just have problems with my temper, and you aggravate me sometimes."

"How, by saying hi? I'm sorry for being so aggravating. I'm sure I'm a million times worse than Mike Newton."

"Oh!" A quick, sharp laugh. "Yes, Edward. You are a million times worse than Mike Newton. He's just so…" her eyes became dreamy. "So much more manly than you. And I really enjoy how much he stalks me. It's like he's obsessed with me. It's quite a turn on."

It took me a minute to realize that she was joking. Made me feel like a real idiot, too. "Why do you hang out with him, then?"

"So many whys," she murmured, playing absently with a strand of hair. "So many whys and no whats, no hows. You're so different."

"Different how?" There was a how for her.

"I don't know. There's just something about you that makes you stand out as particularly unobservant. It's refreshing, but don't let that go to your head."

Unobservant? What, did she think that, just because I didn't fawn over her as obviously as the rest of them, I didn't notice how beautiful she was? "I resent that."

"I'm not saying you're stupid," she said, almost lazily. I couldn't help but to notice how, in spite of her calm, collected voice, her hands were still clenched tightly around her knees. Her knuckles were white from the pressure. "You're just less pig-headed and blatant."

Could she refrain, just once, from speaking in riddles? "I see," I said, as coolly as I could manage. Not very coolly. It was hard to be disinterested when you spoke to the most beautiful, terrifying girl you knew. When she sat on your bed, staring at you…

"What?" she whispered, almost as if she noticed the way my heartbeat picked up again. I was sure I flushed, again. It was no wonder she thought me gay.

"Nothing, Bella."

She snorted delicately.

I lay there quietly, wondering why I couldn't just talk to her like a normal person. Yes, I was reserved, introverted, shy – more so than my siblings, at least. But there shouldn't have been anything stopping me from getting to know her a little better.

"Edward?" she asked suddenly.

I jumped. I wasn't used to her speaking to me voluntarily. And not so hesitantly, either. "Yes?"

"Do you um… talk in your sleep?"

"Excuse me?" I stared at her face, trying to find an explanation. She chewed her lip, her eyes wide and sincere. I didn't see a joke in her face.

"Do you talk in your sleep?" She said each word significantly, carefully, as if I were slow.

"I don't know," I said distractedly. "Maybe? It depends on what I'm dreaming about. No one has ever slept with me. No one has ever told me."

"Oh." She sighed. "Edward?"

"What, Bella?"

"Go to sleep. I mean it. Go to sleep."

"Okay." Slightly bewildered, I lay back and closed my eyes. She switched off the light.

I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep for a while, so I listened to the sound of her breathing, which grew slow, deep, and steady. It lulled me into an uneasy sleep.

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**Reviews give Edward sweet dreams**


	10. Sleep

**Happy New Year everyone. Well. It's the new year 12 minutes for me. But still. Here's a chapter. Kinda a sad.... but I like it. And you had better like it too. No. You don't have to. I did write this at 4 am.**

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**Chapter Ten**

BPOV

I heard Edward's breathing slow when he finally fell asleep. And I lay awkwardly in bed, wondering what I could possibly do next. Was I supposed to stay here all night, with nothing to do? Would Esme and – I winced slightly – Carlisle be offended if I left? Would they be _concerned_ if I left? I couldn't just _leave_, could I? That seemed wrong. Especially considering how much Esme had fought to keep me here.

I was prepared to wait it out – to see how long I could stand laying here and listening to Edward breathe. I was sure that after a while, I'd get bored. Maybe I'd take a quick run – jog around the parameters, check to see that everything was safe and clear.

And then Edward started sleep talking. God, I'd almost forgotten about that.

"Blood," he moaned.

I jerked straight upright, looking down at him in panic. But he was still asleep, just frowning, curled halfway into fetal position. His breathing was almost as erratic as his heartbeat. I held my breath, waiting.

"So much blood! No. No, please. I don't mean any harm. I was just leaving." Pleading?

_I was just leaving_. I should be leaving. I stood, but Edward's voice stopped me.

"No, please!"

Please what? I knew what he dreamed about. Not a dream – a nightmare. I could see it clearly. A dark ally. The stink of alcohol, and the drunken laughs of strange men. The terror and elation of an adrenaline rush, trying to run, trying to stay calm. And then a girl –a strange beauty, flying out of the sky. Aimed for the attackers. Blood. So much blood. No. No, please. He didn't mean any harm. He was just leaving. So long as the bloody, dark-haired beauty didn't come after _him_ next.

Please, don't hurt me, too, I thought. Because he knew, intuitively, that I could not be trusted.

I shuddered.

"Bella!" He cried out. "Don't leave."

Oh God. This went from being his nightmare to my nightmare. This _wasn't_ supposed to happen. After all that, he couldn't actually _want_ me here.

He gripped the pillow tighter, like a lifeline. I took it from him gently, and he seized my hand.

"You saved me."

Oh, _God._ What was I to do? All I could think of was when I used to watch Charlie sleep. How I'd held him when he had nightmares. Even then, I knew that I couldn't protect him from the nightmares of the daytime. I'd do anything at least to grant him safe, happy dreams.

Timidly, I scooped up Edward and cradled him. Awkwardly, but it felt nice. His body burned hot against my icy skin, but again, it felt nice. I'd seen enough real blood tonight not to be distracted by the mouthwatering scent that was Edward. It was nice.

"Bella," he said again. He almost sounded happy. Too happy. I could take the heat of his skin, the fire in my throat that his blood fueled. But his words burned my heart, and that made all the difference.

A prejudiced Edward, I could take. An Edward who hated me for what he thought me to be, I could handle. A remote, distant, frightened Edward, I could survive. But an Edward who was _happy_ to feel me nearby? Impossible. Dangerous. Wrong.

Gently, I set him down on the bed and tucked the covers around him. He settled back into the cushions, looking every bit like a sleeping angel in the moonlight that filtered in through the window. My throat felt tight. I wasn't supposed to feel this way about Edward.

It was okay for me to be protective of the whole Cullen family. I had reason to. But I _hated_ Edward. I didn't think he was beautiful. I didn't notice him.

Or, at least, I didn't used to.

It wasn't good of me to become emotionally involved in all this. This wasn't _about_ the Cullens. It never had been. It wasn't supposed to be. This was about _revenge_. This was to make up for what he had done to me, to Charlie, to the people I'd loved. To show put him through a physical representation of them emotional hell he'd put me through.

This was not about emotional attachment – not that there was one, of course. There could never be an emotional attachment. Ever.. Even friendship could distract me from my real purpose.

I ripped the top sheet off the pad of hotel stationary, and scribbled a quick note so as not to give Carlisle and Esme a heart attack. Then, convincing myself that it was only because I felt more useful running around outside, that my disappearance had nothing to do with Edward's sleep talk, I slipped out the window.

Without a second glance at the sleeping angel.

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**Again, happy new year to everyone. My next update will probably be next year. A new year's review would be happy. *yawn* Tell me what you thought about this chapter. Please? Or just tell me to shut up. God, I'm tired. I'll shut up now.**


	11. Familiarity

**(A/N):So… My winter break is over, which means I'll be writing a lot more now. I work better under pressure. I wrote this at ten thirty at night, when I was supposed to be in bed. School night, you know. And all that crap. I'm putting in this chapter to throw the world for a loop. CPOV does not mean Charlie POV… it means Carlisle POV. Carlisle. The vampire that many call a god. God Himself, in some fics. Nonsense. Carlisle is a man. Just a man. Well, in other fics he _is_ a vampire. But that's all. Just an ordinary guy. And I wanted to take a dip into his mind to prove that. And mix things up a little. I feel like I'm stuck in an E/B rut.**

**To clarify – I've had some questions about Edward and Bella's personalities. Here's my deal. Edward is still Edward, in the sense that he's incredibly perceptive, sensitive, and madly in love with Bella. If it makes you happy to believe he's still an incredible musician, and that he sits around listening to Debussy, that's your call. I haven't gotten into his personal life yet. Bella is not quite like the Bella you know. Obviously, she's quite sensitive, she's very protective of her family, and she's mostly immune to her own beauty. At least now, she knows she's beautiful, and chooses to ignore it. As opposed to in the books, when she doesn't think she's pretty at all. She's a little tougher than you're used to, and a little more self-assured. Because of stuff that happened in the past. You'll see. Anyways, in the traditional sense of OOC and the real Edward and Bella, yes, mine are different. They'll probably end up together, and have a very similar relationship to the one in the book. Probably. If Bella doesn't die first (I said NONE of that. No spoilers). But at the same time, they are _my_** characters, I'm not Stephenie, and that's something we all have to live with.

**In the mean time, ignore my being all defensive. I really do enjoy reading all your reviews. I'm going to try to start making chapters longer, but that means that I'll have less switching of POVs. Unless you want me to put two POVs in the same chapter. Edward half, Bella half. It's your call. Let me know in a review?**

**I'm sorry this is so long. Does anyone even read these things? I'm just taking more time to write it because I'm not doing it online, I'm doing it in the real document. And thinking about it.**

**Dedicated to ellibobelli for being amazing and Bec (geez. Your username is escaping me. And NO INTERNET! I can't look it up) for always reviewing. And being the coolest. Don't worry Elli. I love you more. No. Well. Yes, I do. Also dedicated to everyone who reviews. I haven't been replying to your reviews as much lately (I try to make it a point to reply to everyone), but I'll get to them. Or reply to your next ones.**

**I'm going to shut up now. (525 word A/N. HAHAHAHA ELLI!)**

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**Angel – Chapter Eleven**

CPOV

I slept fitfully that night. I kept waking up and thinking about… Bella. I was sure I'd never seen her in my life. Except for Esme, of course, I'd never met a woman so beautiful or so perfect. Bella's attractive face and body almost didn't seem real – a medical and scientific impossibility. But she was real enough, and Edward seemed to be madly in love with her. That was fine. I just couldn't shake the feeling that that was all wrong.

Somehow, I felt like I knew Bella. Rationally, if I knew her I would have remembered her. And I didn't remember her, so I must not have known her. But something about her made me feel something I hadn't felt in ages. A sense of familiarity that made me shiver, caused me to wake up every half hour. Having her sleeping only a few rooms away from me felt _right_, felt comfortable. As if things hadn't been right before she came.

And come she did. Showing up with a bang, covered in blood, white as a sheet, and pulling an awestruck Edward behind her. Sweet Esme almost had a heart attack, at seeing Edward in such a state, and at wondering what on earth had gotten to Bella.

She'd confided in me before we retired that she and Charlie Swan had been talking a lot, when they ran into each other at the grocery store.

"Poor man," she said, shaking her hair out of its ponytail. "He seems really nervous. Something is stressing him out. It can't be healthy for him."

"Do you think it's Bella?" I asked.

"I don't know. He didn't want to talk about her. Did you know she's not actually living with him? She's gotten herself a house on the other end of town. It's a little weird, I think."

"Strange. I hadn't realized that Charlie had enough money for that."

"I don't think he does."

So now, as I lay awake, I could worry about Chief Swan, too. There was something wrong with the Swan family. Charlie had been perfectly normal until Bella came. Now he seemed jumpy. Distant. Like he was running for something at the same time as he sat waiting for it. I, too, worried for his health. He wasn't exactly young anymore.

And Bella. If only I could figure out why she seemed so familiar. She didn't seem like she belonged to Charlie – that was for sure. I supposed it was none of my business.

But wondering about Bella, wondering about Chief Swan, was better than the alternative – dreaming. Strange, dark dreams that didn't seem to belong to me.

_I stood in the middle of an empty room, in what seemed to be a warehouse. It was dark, and cold. There were people around me – people I didn't know, people I didn't understand. All I knew was that they were getting closer, and that I had no place to back away. I'd been chased here. There were no windows, no doors on the other end of the room. I was really, truly stuck. _

_Pain. I remember that there was pain. It came at me from all sides, and the screaming that didn't come just from my mouth but from my whole body. I had to hold out for the angel who was coming for me. She would be here soon, I knew. And once she was here, the terrible ordeal could be over. I could be safe back at home. All of this behind me. _

_And it was over, eventually. The other figures fell, one by one. Almost all of them. I thought I saw one get away, but I could barely see through the black haze over my eyes. I caught a glimpse of the angel's face, though, before the black curtain fell. She smiled at me, her teeth glinting cruelly and dripping red with what must have been my blood. I almost laughed. _

And then the dream ended. My eyes opened to see Esme sitting up in bed, her knees pulled to her chest, watching me. "Carlisle. Are you okay?"

I realized I was shaking. I sat up, too, and took a few deep breaths. "Yeah. Just strange dreams."

"Do you want to tell me about them?" She took my hand and smiled at me sympathetically. My heart twinged.

"I –" I did. But all I could remember was the blackness, pressing in at me. "I don't remember them." Strange. I tried to remember. I closed my eyes and searched. But all I could find was blackness, like an oppressive blanket masking the bad memories. And again, a feeling of familiarity, of remembrance. Like I'd had the dream before.

She pulled me into her arms, kissed my forehead. "Let me know if you remember."

"I will."

She held me until the sun pushed tentative fingers under the blinds on the windows. "The children will be up soon."

"Yes." Although…. "Maybe not, since Alice isn't here." Had she been here, we'd all be down in the breakfast room now, bleary-eyed, trying not to imagine her choking on her cereal. No, I didn't mean that.

" Well. Let's see how late Edward can sleep with Bella here."

My stomach twisted uncomfortably at Bella's name. "She's a strange one, no?"

Esme's fingers faltered, falling out of the rhythm with which she stroked my hair. "I _did_ do the right thing asking her to stay, right? I couldn't let her stay out by herself."

"Of course you couldn't. I'm sure that Charlie will be very grateful. And it seemed like Edward won't mind a little extra time with her."

"I hope she doesn't hurt him." Her lips quivered. I understood her attachment to Edward – the only son of her dead sister, Elizabeth. "He's so lonely."

I reassured her that spending time with Bella would be good for Edward. That she was a sweet girl with a good father. I only needed someone to reassure _me_, to help me shake the nagging feeling that this was no different from last time, and that Bella's reappearance only meant trouble.

_Last time? Re_appearance?

There was a soft knock on the door. I went to answer it, and Esme sat up straighter in bed. Edward's pale face looked up at me, and I stepped aside to let him in. He seemed shaken, and a sheet of paper trembled in his hand.

"Edward, what is it?" Esme asked, standing, while I said, "Where's Bella?"

Edward let Esme wrap her arms around him and gave me the paper wordlessly.

_Dear Carlisle, Esme,_ it read.

_Thank you so much for your hospitality last night. I am deeply sorry for any inconveniences my appearance may have caused. _

_I also apologize for leaving you like this. I don't mean to worry you, but I simply cannot stay here. I found a ride home – someone trustworthy, I promise. _

_I suppose that I will see some of you on Monday._

_Thanks again, B. Swan_

"She's gone?" Esme said, startled, looking up from the note.

Edward nodded. "She wasn't there when I woke up."

Esme and I looked at each other over his head, neither of us doing a good job of hiding our panic.

"Oh, great," Rosalie said from the doorway. "The beauty deserted the beast. What did you do, Edward? How'd you scare her away?" There was unmistakable hostility in my daughter's voice.

Bafflingly, Edward's cheeks turned faintly pink, and he glared back at Rosalie defensively.

"Don't mind Rose," Emmett said lazily. "You're just jealous, right babe?"

"Jealous? Of what? Of _her_? Oh, yes, Emmett. So complimentary." She pushed his face away from her neck, scowling.

"It's probably true," Edward murmured. "You don't like her much, do you, Rose? Just, could you maybe not take it out on the rest of us?"

"Edward, just because you have a creepy infatuation with Bella doesn't mean that the rest of us –"

"Enough!" Esme looked just as confused as I felt. "I'm going to call Charlie Swan to be sure that Bella got home safely. Why don't you three run down to breakfast? Carlisle, you could go with them…"

"In a minute." Emmett, Rose, and Edward disappeared, and I sat down on the end of the bed, reading through Bella's note again. It was nothing special – just a collection of generically polite, reassuring phrases, peppered with apologies and thank yous, and assuring Esme that she hadn't driven off with a kidnapper.

Nothing remarkable.

"What is it?" Esme sat beside me, phone in hand. "Is something wrong?"

"No." To prove it – to myself – I crumpled the paper into a ball and dropped it into the trash can. "I'm going down to eat."

"I'll be there soon."

As I walked down the smotheringly quiet hallway, I shivered. Everything was _not_ okay. I didn't know if it was the handwriting, the blood, the cool distance and impeccable manners, or just a strong sense of déjà-vu, but I was one hundred percent positive I'd lived through all of this before.

I also knew, somehow, that, starting with the note, everything was going to go downhill.

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**(A/N): Do you like it? I do. I tried to make it longer-ish. Carlisle's a good, wordy guy. With nightmares. And creepy secrets. :)  
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	12. Caution and Complaint

**EPOV! Here it is! EEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVV! I'm excited. Hee hee. Actually, I don't know what I ma. I am feeling rather DWB-ey. (Damn writer's block). I'm feeling fiendish because you probably expected BPOV. Nope-o. Yep, I'm high. On vapors of hunger, boredom, exhaustion, and frustration with my Bio teacher's annoying voice, my failing mechanical pencil, and my dad's making me take the bus home. And what if I don't CARE about genetics? **

**But you don't want to hear about that. You want the chapter. **_**Sigh**_**. Poor, underappreciated me… OKAY! Let's see if I have any inspiration.**

**Dedicated in part to LaLaLovely(some number or another) for reviewing in detail and being more insightful than anyone.**

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****Angel – Chapter 12**

EPOV

Rosalie made a face at me as soon as the elevator doors closed behind us. "I'm sorry that Bella had to leave."

"You don't have to be so nasty, Rose." I felt cold inside, empty. My head was like a hollow drum. And generated idiotic similes.

I hadn't slept well the night before. I knew I had nightmares. As much as I assured Bella that we were cool, and that I had no hard feelings, I felt uncomfortable now. Awkward. But what are you supposed to say to someone who just ripped off your attacker's head?

I didn't expect, though, that Bella would leave so soon. I suspected that she might not stay for long – she seemed awkward here, not quite comfortable with staying in someone else's hotel, with people she didn't know – but I didn't expect her to take off in the middle of the night. It didn't seem like her. It was inexplicable.

Then again, a lot of things about Bella were inexplicable.

"Edward, give it a rest. Rose, you too." Emmett leaned back wearily on the wall of the elevator. "I can't believe you woke me up for this. I'm _tired._"

"I'm sorry," Rose sniffed. "I didn't realize that you needed your beauty sleep." She pouted perfectly at her reflection.

"Will you two give it a break?" My head throbbed.

"What about your beauty sleep?" Emmett teased. "God forbid you should look any less beautiful than you do now." He tried to wrap his arms around her.

"You pig." She squirmed out of his grasp just as the doors dinged open. I hurried out into the lobby, not wanting to put up with their childish behavior. Not childish. Nausea-enducingly adorable. I couldn't take it.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I snapped it open to hear Alice's voice. "Edward. Where are you?"

"Um, the hotel? In Port Angeles?" I sat at one of the grey-topped, faux-elegant tables in the "Café." More like a cafeteria. "Why?"

She sighed, almost sounding relieved. "Oh, okay. That's all right then. Wait. Are Carlisle and Esme with you?"

"Yes, of course. Alice, what's going on?"

She inhaled deeply. "Nothing, Edward. I'm just taking a bad dream too seriously. Anyways, Jasper and I are getting ready to come home. We had the most _amazing_ shopping trip. This is the cutest little town. Oh, Edward, you would love it so much. I have to bring you next time. You could find some little bookstore, or something. But it's so gorgeous and everything. And everything is super cheep. Carlisle won't have to cancel my credit card this time…"

"Wait, Alice." Bad dreams? Unease gnawed at the pit of my stomach. "You had a dream? What was it about?"

She stopped, her designer shoe train of thought derailed by my seriousness. "Shit, Edward. What's up?"

"I – God, Alice. I don't know." I ran my hands through my hair, still not fully awake. "Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Just tell me about the dream."

Alice gasped shrilly. "Edward, is it something about Bella?"

Obnoxiously perceptive. "Yes. No. Maybe. Just tell me about the dream."

"Okay, okay." She sighed. "I don't really know what all was happening. It was dark and confusing. Dark alley, and all that stuff? Maybe like a horror movie. I know you were there, and so were these people I didn't know. And then there was screaming." Her voice grew as serious as mine, and I shivered. "But then the dream changed, right? It was you, outside the hotel. Alone. And, Edward, there was something in the shadows."

"Do you believe in the dream, Alice? Is this like the other times?"

She snapped back to reality. "I don't know. It's irrelevant."

"it is not irrelevant." I bit my tongue against telling her I'd had almost the same dream – to a certain extent, at least. I'd sound crazy. "I want to know if it's like last time. You're usually right."

"I don't know. Look, why don't you talk to Jasper for a minute? I'm in the middle of trying on my new stuff. I have to get rid of some of it so that Esme won't flip out. Here."

I heard the scratchy sounds of the phone shuffling to a different person. Emmett and Rose filtered into the café, arm-in-arm. Apparently, they'd had no trouble kissing and making up.

"Edward?"

"Hey, Jasper. You holding up okay there?"

He laughed throatily. "Yeah, I guess so. I would have gone crazy if Alice hadn't had this stupid dream."

"Was she that bad?" I started chuckling, and then realized the implications of his words. "Was the dream really that bad? She's trying to blow it off as something not important."

"I couldn't say. She seemed really freaked out this morning. But I don't know. That's just a guess. She took a while to calm down."

Scarily accurate dreams on Alice's part. A perception of anxiety on Jasper's part. All these things I'd actually lived. It made me nervous. "Should I be worried, Jazz?"

"Alice, sweetie, watch out! You're going to trip on that. What, Edward?"

"Should I be nervous? Do you think this is something that I really need to worry about?"

"Maybe. You never know. It might not hurt to be safe, you know? Stay away from dark, creepy allies. Make sure there's someone there to watch your back."

Bella. I felt like throwing up. "Thanks, Jasper. Tell Alice I say thank you, too." I'll just sit here and stay out of shadows.

"No problem. We'll see you tonight." The phone went dead, and I felt that distinctly creepy feeling of someone being right behind me… I turned, imagining darkness, shadows. My spine tingled.

"Boo." Emmett slipped into the chair beside me, and I jumped half a foot. "Daydreaming, Eddie? Thinking about Bella again?"

"Please God, spare me." Rosalie took one of Emmett's two trays and started stirring her cereal. "Not again. Edward, I thought you knew better than to be so shallow."

"Why does everything have to be about Bella?" My fingers drummed too quickly on the table. "There's other stuff going on, too, you know?"

"Like what?" She looked at me condescendingly, her mouth full of cereal. "Honestly, look at it. Even Carlisle and Esme are making a big deal out of her. I'd like to meet one person who's not in love with her."

"Ben isn't," Emmett quickly. "He's too in love with Angela."

I rolled my eyes, my foot tapping in time with the staccato of my fingers, unable to pay attention to their useless banter. "Gossip. It's even shallower than you, Rose."

"Thanks Edward. Although you're not really in a position to speak. You're too absorbed in Bella to notice anything else around you. So I would hardly start calling _me_ names."

I opened my mouth to reply, but Emmett pointed subtly toward the door. We all turned to see Carlisle scanning the room. His gaze landed on our table, and he strode over to take the seat beside me.

"Esme is on the phone with Chief Swan," he said, looking weary.

My siblings nodded passively. I spun my phone around on the table, not wanting to look at Carlisle, afraid that my eyes would be too inquisitive.

"Edward, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

My head snapped up, and his scrutinizing eyes caught my slightly panicked expression. Caught. "Of course, Carlisle."

"Why don't you and Rose run along, Emmett. We'll only be a minute." Carlisle smiled tightly at them and then turned his chair so that he was facing me.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Bella."

My heart dropped, and my stomach tightened nervously. It would be about Bella. Rose and Emmett were right. _Everything_ was about Bella now. "Okay."

His eyes tightened. "Edward, it's obvious that you feel very strongly about her."

I licked my lips, but couldn't find the words to deny that.

He nodded gravely. "Ordinarily, I would be glad that you've found someone like her. You need someone special in your life. Esme agrees with me. It's not so normal for you to be alone." I tried to protest again, but he beat me to it. "No, you are alone. Rosalie and Emmett have each other. Alice and Jasper have each other. All we want is for you to be loved. But I'd rather it not be Bella."

"Why?" I rasped. I didn't think to deny that I felt that way about Bella.

Carlisle looked uncomfortable. "She's not… There's something about her that makes me anxious, Edward. It was very gallant of you to help her last night. But I feel like I didn't get the whole story. I'm not asking that you give me every detail. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I'm not getting myself into anything. Bella and I are barely friends." I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I didn't even know how Bella could possibly be human. She was much too intriguing for that.

But he knew me too well. He didn't look at all like he bought that. "Okay. I'll trust you for now. I just don't want you to get hurt."

My mouth was dry again. "Carlisle, I'm not going to get hurt. I have no intention of chasing after Bella. We have no relationship whatsoever. What happened last night was a mistake."

He sighed, still not looking convinced. "You don't have any idea of where she went? Any idea at all?"

"Home?" I said shakily. "Isn't that what her letter said? That she found a ride home?"

"I give up." He stood, and walked over to the breakfast bar. What had he expected me to say?

We did very little for the rest of the day. Carlisle's conference over, Esme invited whoever wanted to come to come shop around with her downtown. She and Carlisle ended up wandering the boardwalk together. I refused point-blank to come. I couldn't imagine getting stuck down another deserted alleyway, alone. Bella was gone by now, I was almost sure. There was no one who would come save me. Emmett coaxed Rosalie down into the arcade room, so I sat and moped.

Just like everyone always accused me of doing. _Edward, you're too serious. You need to get out and have fun_. And I always denied it.

We went home sometime mid-afternoon. Rose and Emmett sat quietly in the back of the Volvo, which was nice. The silent drive was what I needed. It prepared me for coming home to Alice and her shopping bags.

"Edward!" She flung herself at me as soon as I walked in the door.

"Alice. Calm down." I looked over her shoulder at Jasper for help. He shrugged apologetically.

She let me go and took my bag from me. "We need to talk. Up in your room. Now." I looked at her questioningly, but her face was uncompromising.

"Please, Edward?" Jasper asked. "She won't shut up about needing to talk to you. Just go."

So I followed Alice upstairs. She dropped my bag unceremoniously on the floor and bounced onto my bed. I sat beside her. "Edward."

"Yes?"

"What happened this weekend?"

"I probably made it sound worse than it actually was, Alice. It's not a big deal. Why? Did someone say something to you?"

"_Edward_." She grabbed my arm and shook me. "I need to know. All I know is that Bella wound up spending the night with you last night. I had a feeling something would happen in Port Angeles. _Now tell me what it was._"

"Okay, okay. I just don't know where to start."

"From the very beginning," she said through her teeth.

"Okay. So we got to Port Angeles, and I went for a drive. I felt… like I needed to be alone." Alice would understand that. "I got out and started walking. I guess I wasn't really thinking about where I was going. I ended up some place very unfamiliar." The back lot of a gay bar. But she didn't need to know that.

"The alleyway." She nodded, looking troubled.

"And there were these guys there… They looked like they were going to do something to me. Something bad. But then Bella showed up."

Alice frowned again. I wondered if my eyes had glazed over or something. "Why was she covered in blood?"

"There was a… fight.'

She sighed. "Okay. Edward, just be careful from now on, okay?"

"What would make you think I'm not? Alice, Carlisle gave me just about the same talk earlier. He's worried that Bella is a bad influence on me. Whatever."

"She might be, Edward. I don't know. I don't think it's Bella, though. I think it's someone else."

I stood. "If you're done talking in riddles, Alice, I'd like to unpack my stuff."

She looked up at me, bit her lip, and nodded, leaving the room.

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**Mmmnblah. That took too long to write. You'd better appreciate it. Just kidding. Review, if you are so inclined.**


	13. Careful

**Egad. I've been getting a lot of reviews about how confusing my story is. I…. am really sorry about that. I don't mean for things to be confusing. Really, I don't. They just work out this way. As LaLaLovely pointed out, this is an extremely convoluted plot. And yes, it needs work. And clarification. But it's my baby and I'm really proud of it. SO ALL YOU HATERS SHOULD GO DIE. Just kidding. I'm glad that you're still reading it, and taking the time to review. Now, things are going to be confusing still for the next chapter… or two. But that's just part of my revealing the plot, yeah? Everything that's happened is for a reason. After that, you'll start seeing some questions answered. If – excusably – you don't feel like sticking around that long… Please at least tell me in a review what I did wrong. I would like to know how I can make this the best possible story it can be.**

**And I'm going to shut up now because my A/Ns are getting too long.**

**Angel – Chapter Thirteen**

Apov

I had another dream that night. It was strange. They were coming more and more frequently. And, if what Edward said was true, they were becoming more and more accurate.

_Running through an unfamiliar forest, sure of her path. Her senses trained straight ahead of her. She could not allow herself to slow, to fall behind. It would mean death. Death for them all. _

_Unerringly, she pushed herself harder, ran faster and faster. Almost touching him now. He was so close. She knew she should leave. She should run far away. But unrequited feelings kept her here. And she knew that she had to face them – face Him – before she went back._

_She reached out, to touch him now, and he turned. Red eyes bored into her, and the nightmares of long, long ago made her feel quite ill. He smiled, and she turned and fled._

I woke up, shuddering. Jasper rubbed my back – soothing me even when sleeping. I curled myself closer into his arms and looked at the blinking red alarm clock. Only an hour more before I could get up and make noise without fearing for my life, or for the life of my car. It was silly of me, I knew. Silly, but at least this time I had something to worry about.

Like Edward, for example. He denied that there was anything other than…. an acquaintance between himself and Bella. Did the boy think I was blind? I had dreams about the two of them getting together, for God's sake. But I also had dreams about the girl… in the forest… And I was one hundred percent positive that she was Bella.

Call me crazy, but it didn't seem safe, responsible of me to let Edward go hang out with a hunting forest chick that was chasing someone with red eyes. Then again, telling him that would be suicide. He'd almost bitten my head off when I told him about the first dream. Was it possible that he was as worried as I was?

I stroked Jasper's hair softly, smiling at the way it gleamed silver in the dark. He rolled over and looked up at me sleepily. "Alice, what is it?"

"Nothing. Go back to bed."

"I'm not tired anymore."

"Silly Jasper." I kissed his cheek. "It's fine. You can sleep. You're exhausted."

"No." He pushed himself up on one elbow. "What woke you up? Was it another dream?"

I grimaced, hoping that it was dark enough that he couldn't see. "No. Well. Yes. But it's not like Edward's dying or anything. I don't even know what it was."

His arm tightened around me. "I think you do," he whispered. "But you don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to. This could stay between you and Edward."

"God, Jasper," I hissed. "It's just a dream, okay? What part of 'dream' do you not understand? The dictionary definition? To _dream_, to _imagine. _Events that aren't real. It's not going to happen." So why was I so defensive?

"Is it really that bad?"

An image of crimson eyes popped into my head and I shuddered. "It was just a nightmare." I think at that point I was trying to convince myself, not Jasper.

"Then Edward doesn't need to know."

_It has nothing to do with Edward!_ I wanted to scream. "Thanks, Jasper," I said instead, feeling irrationally relieved.

"You didn't used to dream this much."

"I noticed." I snuggled into him and he rested his cheek on top of my head.

"What do you think changed?"

Easy question. Hit me harder. "Bella. It's since she came. I don't know what to make of it. I'm doing my best not to try. Some things are better left unknown."

He frowned. "In whose eyes? Yours or Edward's?"

I shrugged. "I'd rather not think about that either."

Jasper let me lay beside him in contemplative silence. He stroked my hair rhythmically, soothingly. It was his constant touch that let me make it until 5:30 without screaming.

As soon as Edward's alarm clock went off in the room over, I slid out of bed and flicked on the lights. While Jasper moaned and cringed away from the light theatrically, I rummaged through the bags of new clothes from our trip.

"Not a word to Edward," I spat, turning to him with an armful of clothes. "Or I will hunt you down and kill you, Jasper Hale." And then I marched off to the bathroom, where Rosalie already stood curling her hair.

"Good morning," I said, dropping my stuff on the counter.

She looked at me, startled. "Jesus, Alice. Don't take it out on me."

Okay, so maybe I threw my stuff down. Big difference. "Sorry, Rose."

"And a good morning to you, too." She gestured with the curling iron as if to toast me.

I bowed.

"You dork."

"You look really pretty today, Rose," I noted. She did. Much more dressy that normal. "Are you dressed up for something specific?"

"Um…. No. Not really. Going back to school. It's Monday. It's a statement. I like looking nice." She shrugged dismissively and sprayed her hair.

I got a brief mental image of half the school wolf-whistling. "A statement? Did you fight with Emmett?"

She set the hairspray down rather hard. "Nope. Just making a statement. Why so nosy, Alice?"

Why so nasty Rose? I wanted to ask. I said nothing.

When we walked out into the kitchen, Edward took one look at Rosalie and folded up his newspaper, shoving it away in disgust. "For the love of God. Is that really necessary?"

Emmett cheered. Rosalie flounced to his side and pecked his cheek, pulling a plate of toast towards her. Esme shot Emmett a warning glare.

I slipped into the seat beside Edward and poured myself some coffee. "What's that all about?"

"Um…" He cleared his throat and took a rather large bite of toast. I watched him sternly while he choked on crumbs.

"You gonna tell me?" I asked when he was done coughing.

He wiped his eyes. "There's no need to be vicious, Alice. But Rosalie is trying to make a statement. About her status." He lowered his voice. "And make sure everyone knows that she was there before Bella."

"Oh." There was a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, but I pushed it away. "She seriously needs to get over that. I mean, she doesn't even know that Bella's going to be here today. She should save it for a better day."

Edward choked on his toast again. "Bella's not going to be there?"

"I don't know." I looked out the window distantly, wishing that Bella hadn't come up. The sun was just starting to rise – and since today was a rare, non-cloudy day, I could see its rays poking through the forest around the house. Last night's rain left everything sparkling and fresh, and a light fog rose eerily. It was beautiful.

"What aren't you telling me, Alice?"

Damned perceptive Edward. I shoved my chair away from the table and scowled at him. "Nothing, Edward. Why are you so pushy? Maybe Rose is right. Maybe everyone _is_ a little too obsessed with Bella." Feeling automatically guilty, I stormed out to the cars and sat, listening to music, until everyone else was ready to go.

The drive to school was long, quiet, and tense. Jasper rubbed my back soothingly, and I leaned into him, watching the trees flash by outside. He knew me so well. Well enough to know that something had gone down between Edward and I.

I generally viewed school as a passably tolerable seven hours, during which I could think about the weekend, about Jasper, and about the latest model Porsche. That's not to say that I didn't do well. I did. I just paid very little attention. The only class that ever stood out to me – and it was only a recently notable class – was Textile Arts. Added to the fact that it was a creative, no-thinking class that let me design my own clothes, I had it with Bella.

Usually.

Bella wasn't in Textile Arts today. Though I was almost sure that I was the only one who noticed, her seat in the far back corner was painfully empty. I couldn't focus on my designs. I was worried.

In spite of that, most of the morning passed without incident. I didn't really expect anything to happen – although I was right about the way 99.9% of the boys reacted to Rosalie's miniskirt and scarlet lipstick. The 0.1% of boys – the ones who didn't react – consisted of Edward, Jasper, and a fuming Emmett. I watched Edward and Jasper snicker about it at lunch, every time that Emmett caught someone else staring. I was amused.

Sort of.

Edward hadn't noticed Bella's empty seat, yet. My eyes wandered to her normal table, and for a hopeful moment, I wondered if she'd just decided to ditch Mike and Jessica and go sit somewhere else. But then I heard Edward sigh.

"She's not here, Alice."

I turned to him, startled. "What?"

He glanced over at our siblings, who were all talking about something else. Laughing. Distracted. "Bella isn't here," he said, his voice lower. "I think she's mad at me."

I stifled a giggle. "Edward, why would she be mad at you? You didn't do anything."

He shrugged noncommittally, not quite denying that.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." He seemed to hate himself even more when he said that.

I sighed. "Do you want to talk?"

Edward glanced at the others again, specifically at Rosalie. "I don't really think, Alice, that now is the time or place to talk about Bella." He leaned closer. "I'd rather not think about it, actually. But I'm afraid that I did something wrong…"

I touched his hand lightly across the table. "Girl problems, Edward? Really? You need to talk. You didn't tell me everything."

For half a second, he really seemed tempted by the offer. Then he jerked his hand away. "Alice, I don't want to talk about things any more than you do. Why don't you back off?" He grabbed his tray and marched away.

Jasper scooted closer to me. "What was that? Edward's pissed."

"Um…" I played with Jasper's sleeve, trying to distract him. But he forced my face up to him. "I don't know. I think Edward knows that I had a dream."

"Edward knows everything," Emmett said, around a mouthful of hotdog. "Except for how to be with the ladies."

Rosalie smacked him and he kissed her cheek.

"Edward does know everything," Jasper said seriously. "He knows when you don't want to talk. He just needs to learn how to respect that."

"Yeah, well, I don't see him talking either." I felt almost as grouchy as Edward, but I could control myself better than him. I didn't have to storm away and have a hissy fit every time someone tried to get me to talk about the things I needed to.

Right?

No, I could be strong. I picked up my tray and went over to sit at the other side of the table, right next to Rosalie. That wasn't running away. It was just a bit of distance.

**Wow. I don't really know where any of that came from. I hope it made sense. I didn't exactly Beta it, or anything. I have no Beta. Well. Except for the amazing Ellibobelli, on occasion. Um. This will be particularly relevant to Bec. I have a snow day tomorrow. School was cancelled! So I can stay up tonight. And probably write another chapter. Bec, I want that fuzzy-sweatered celebratory hug.**

**I'm wearing the sweater right now.**

**To those of you who didn't understand the exchange, that's okay. I hope you understood the chapter a little better. Better than I did, at least. Believe it or not, this **_**is**_** all going somewhere.**

**If you have suggestions for improval I would welcome them greatly.  
**


	14. Talking Helps

**Ooooh my God you guys. I feel so crappy. I think I have strep or something. I should be in bed. But my pride is keeping me awake and writing. Just for you. Isn't that nice?**

**I'm sorry this chapter is so BAD. I just… needed to get something out. I very desperately want Bella back. Already. Damn me having to plan out my plot another way.

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****Angel – Chapter 14**

EPOV

I wandered aimlessly, not really having a place to go, but not willing to go back to Alice's overbearing questions. I knew, of course, that she was being perfectly reasonable and that I was being perfectly stupid. But really. I was nothing if not irrational. Sometimes.

I found myself running into a girl with honey-blonde hair and soft, startled eyes. She squeaked and fell over. Automatically, I offered her my hand. She took it gingerly.

"I am so sorry." I ran a distressed hand through my hair. I wasn't doing anything right today, was I? I was really, truly hopeless. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"It's alright." She smiled up at me easily. Her expression seemed unfamiliar, and then I realized that she wasn't blushing and giggling – unlike most girls. I recognized her then. Angela Weber. But she _was_ one of Jessica Stanley's groupies, was she not?

I remembered what Emmett had said once about Ben Cheney and Angela, and smiled a little inside. "I really am sorry, Angela. I'm not quite myself today."

She smoothed her shirt and smiled again. "Really, Edward, it's fine."

Her different attitude was refreshing. I found myself smiling back at her, and then stopped. I could only think of one other girl at this school who had ever had a reasonable reaction to me – one without those obnoxious eyelash flutters and blushes. Bella.

"Are you alright?"

I started walking again, and she trailed after me, her face concerned. "You seem worried."

Her persistence didn't bother me. She wasn't Alice. "Maybe I am." It was good to say aloud – even to myself. I'd been denying that anything was anything other than okay since Saturday night. It felt right. Scary, but right.

"What about?" I could see what Ben saw in Angela – a gentle, undemanding beauty. She was real, and not over-the-top like most of the others. I really hoped they could end up together.

"Um." I teetered for a moment on an impossible line. "Bella. I think she hates me." It all rushed out in a blur.

Angela laughed lightly. "Nonsense. Why would you think that?"

"Well. She's not here today." From an outsider's perspective, I could see how conceited that would make me sound. Just as she raised her eyebrows, I hastened to explain. "It's not like that. We saw each other over the weekend, and I'm afraid I did something rather insensitive. I thought that she would be here infallibly. I was wrong."

"Chances are, Edward, it's not your fault." Angela looked up at me with perfect sincerity. "It seems like there's a lot of things that stress her out. And I happen to know that Chief Swan is out of town right now, too. So she's probably with her dad."

I saw my chance. "You sit with Bella sometimes, right? You're kind of friends with her."

She shrugged. "I guess so. I don't really know her _that_ well. She's kind of hard to get close to."

I knew how that went. "What is it that's stressing her out? Has she said?"

Another passive shrug. But it didn't seem so innocent this time. "She worries a lot."

"About…?" And now I saw where Angela flipped from sweet to maddeningly annoying. It was one thing to assure an acquaintance that nobody hated him. It was another thing to refuse to tell him why. Yes, I knew she was just sticking up for Bella. But she didn't have to be _that_ loyal, did she?

She chewed her lip. "She looks at your table a lot. She doesn't say much, but when she's quiet I know she's watching you."

I shivered unconsciously. "Watching me?"

"I don't think it's just you. All of you. But she doesn't tell us why."

"Oh." The creepy feeling was gone, but it left me feeling almost disappointed. Was I really so vain that I thought Bella was following me? "I see."

"Yes." We walked in silence for a moment. "You have Biology next, right?"

"Yes." We were almost to the classroom. I slowed. "Angela, if she does come back – if she says anything to you…"

"About you?" she finished for me, grinning. "Do you want me to drop in a good word for you here and there, too? Because I could, you know. Depending on the terms."

"Oh, God no." I was stunned that she could have misinterpreted me so horribly. "That's not at all what I meant. I don't need her to notice me more. At all." Even if a very tiny part of me wanted that. "I just need to know how much she despises me."

"What went on between the two of you that would make her hate you so much?"

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't very well tell her that I saw Bella kill a man. Instead, I looked around for an escape. "Oh, look. There's Ben."

Cheap trick, but it worked. Angela colored and hid her face behind her hair. "Is he looking this way?" she asked, her voice shaking.

I smirked. "I don't know. Do you want me to put in a good word for you here and there?"

"Yes," she squeaked. She tittered in embarrassment, and I smiled at her before slipping into the Biology class and leaving her to collect herself.

I was very aware that Mike Newton sat with his chair pulled almost into the middle of the aisle, close to my lab table, when I came to sit.

"Hey, man." I looked at him strangely.

"Edward. Is Bella here today?"

"No." Of course. When wasn't it about Bella? Jesus. People accused _me_ of being obsessed."Haven't seen her."

"Bummer."

"Yeah." I opened my textbook and pulled out my homework, unable to keep myself from being annoyed.

"Hey, Edward?" Mike leaned back to look at me. "You and Bella. You're not a thing, are you?"

A strange feeling hit me – longing. "No, Mike." I pretended to check through my chemical equations.

"Do you mind if I ask her to the spring dance?"

"No, Mike." Yes, I did. I could rip his head off. But that would make me just as bad as Bella. Sigh. "Go ahead."

He grinned and bumped fists with me. Smiling awkwardly, I turned back to my book. Why would it bother me that Mike wanted to ask Bella to the dance? It shouldn't. It couldn't. I officially would not let it bother me that Mike wanted to go to the dance with Bella.

Since Bella wasn't in to me, she could go and have lots of fun with Mike.

But I couldn't help remembering how Jasper told me that Bella didn't seem at all interested in Mike. Or, for that matter, any of the other people at her table.

I had a mental image of Mike, dressed smarmily in a poorly fitting tuxedo, whirling around a beaming, blushing Bella. Then of me, in his place. I knew which picture I liked better. Selfishly, yes. But it was a hard feeling to ignore.

And the worst part? I knew I shouldn't be thinking like this. Images of Bella drenched in the blood of another living creature – one that she _murdered_ – should have been dancing through my head, torturing me. I should have hated Bella Swan for an eternity because of what I saw her do. It would only be rational.

But love was irrational.

Love? Love. Alice was right. Love at first sight.

That took me long enough.

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**I'm sorry it's so short. And, AGH! It's so OOC. So ANNOYINGLY OOC. But I can't do anything about it. I need this posted. Need…. Sleep… Need to update my Renesmee fic… Goodness. Don't mind me.**

**The next chapter is dedicated to whomever gets the 100****th**** review. You guys really do make me feel special. When I don't feel like keeling over on my desk.**

**Also... in honor of all of you still reading, I promise to make the next chapter a zingger. I hope.  
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	15. The Pain of Great Expectations

**Over 100 reviews! *breathes sigh of relief* This is dedicated to purple people eater 69 who had the 100th review and, I must say, an amazing one. I didn't realize anyone would start screaming over the crap I write. Thank you! (To you readers on Twilight Archives, I'm sorry. The 100 review thing was on . I apologize for confusion.)**

**This chapter was interesting to write because it made me want to go back and edit everything. I have a better idea of chapter flow – you can see that this one is notably longer than others. I would go back and fix that, but that would take work. And it's already published… Awkward. So, from now on, chapters are going to be like this. Major changes, I know. But it'll all work out. **

**Also, I'm sorry the ending is rushed. It was getting late, I need bed, and I needed a cliffie.**

**

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****Angel – Chapter Fifteen**

EPOV

Once I admitted to myself that I liked Bella Swan, the rest of my life went completely downhill. My relationship with my siblings, my patience with Mike Newton, my tolerance of school, and my social life? Pft. Gone. Like that.

Gone, like Bella.

The next four weeks and two days were absolute hell.

They were hell because Alice was on to me. She didn't say anything, but I knew she noticed a change in my behavior. Alice noticed absolutely everything. Jasper continued to ask me not-so-subtly about my theories on Bella's whereabouts. Emmett teased me mercilessly – God knows who told the bumbling, unobservant Emmett – and I kept finding condoms among my personal belongings. And Rosalie just wasn't talking to me. At all. Ever.

The days were hell because Mike Newton terrorized me with stories about how Bella wasn't at home, wouldn't answer her cell phone, and didn't reply to emails. He frustrated to no end. Thankfully – or not –, he took my frustration as frustration for her apparent lack of interest in him, and not as my frustration at the fact that he had her contact information. I wouldn't have minded him not knowing; not asking me awkward questions about my relationship with her, except for that he'd decided that I was his personal relationship counselor now. Every other word that came out his mouth was "Bella." If it hadn't made me think of her, I would have considered murdering him.

The days were hell because I couldn't bring myself to raise my voice in protest. My conscience wouldn't let me. I knew I should defend myself against my siblings, but in reality, I knew I had nothing to deny.

I supposed I could have tried talking to them – to Alice, at least, who was still trying to be there for me as a friend and not as a tormentor – but that felt like a violation of Bella's privacy. I knew things about her that I shouldn't.

That night still lived on in my nightmares. I woke up four nights out of five with vivid, violent images flashing through my mind. Blood. So much blood. The screaming, the snarling, and the terrified sobs. Bella was a murderer. I'd watched her kill a man. Bella was bad.

But at the same time, it warmed my heart to know that she did it _for me_. It was an overreaction, to be sure, but it was, of course, the thought that really counted, no? I hated how irrational I was. I hated that I couldn't report Bella, that I made up excuses for her actions. But love was irrational.

I found myself going to school each day with great expectations. I would talk to Bella. I would demand that she explain herself. I would figure her out.

I found myself at school each day disappointed, when I found that the seat between Mike and Eric was empty again, or when I sat alone at my lab table again.

And it made me worry. Bella couldn't have gotten herself into trouble, could she? It was unlikely that the law caught up with her so quickly. And we would have heard about it; she _was_ the daughter of the Police Chief.

I found out quickly that I wasn't the only one who worried.

It was a Wednesday – a week and a half after the alleyway incident. I had decided that enough was enough – that I couldn't let Bella consume my very existence. I had to talk to someone. To anyone. Preferably, before I exploded, but I wasn't going to be too picky.

I quickly ruled out my brothers, in fear that they would find something else in my questions that they could use against me to make my life even more hellish. Rosalie wasn't even an option , and Alice would undoubtedly go psycho on me. Esme was out at her book club, which left me only one option.

I went to see Carlisle in his study that evening. The house was otherwise empty, and his study was oddly quiet. Oddly nervous, I knocked twice.

"Edward?"

"Carlisle, can I come in?"

The door swung open and Carlisle smiled at me strainedly. "Yes, Edward. Please, sit."

I sat, uncertain.

"What can I do for you?" Carlisle's face was abnormally pale. His eyes flitted around the room, far away, not really focusing on me, or on anything. He looked anxious.

"I… um. Are you alright?"

"Yes, fine." He smiled again. "Did you come to speak with me?"

I stared down at my hands, folded in my lap. "Yes. I did. I…" How to explain? I wondered what I'd been thinking when I came here. As much as I trusted Carlisle, I couldn't trust him to lie for me, for I. He was too good for that. I'd thought I was too good for that, too. A long time ago.

I didn't want to betray her trust. Because I was sure that she must trust me with something. Or was that why she left? So that I wouldn't be able to tell?

"Edward?" My father's commanding tone demanded my attention. "You seem almost as distracted as I do. What is the matter?"

Possibly, for the first time ever, I lied to Carlisle. "Nothing. I just wanted to see how you're doing. You haven't quite been yourself lately." It wasn't a complete lie. He'd been staying later at work, hiding in his study at home. His light was on under the door in the wee hours of the mornings, and I believed Esme to have been sleeping alone for the past few nights. "You and Esme aren't arguing, are you?"

He laughed. "No, of course not." Then his eyes narrowed. "Edward, is this about Bella again?"

The question caught me by surprise. I'd been good. I hadn't mentioned her since that day. "Why would you think that?" I asked, my heart racing.

Even more surprising was his reaction. He sank down into his desk chair and buried his face in his hands, looking drained. "I can't stop thinking about her, Edward."

I would have been outraged if he hadn't sounded so tortured. "But you just said you and Esme…?"

"Not like that." He looked at me with utter disgust. I supposed I deserved it. I shouldn't have been thinking like that. It was irrational of me to believe that everyone was as infatuated with her as I was. "Just about her stay with us in Port Angeles." His hand clenched into a fist on the surface of his desk. I thought for a moment he was about to punch something.

"What about it?" I couldn't stop thinking about it, either, but I had a feeling that his reasons were far different than mine.

"Have you ever…" Carlisle stared at his fist, as if willing it to punch his desk in half. "Have you ever had such intense déjà-vu that you go absolutely mad? It lasts for days, weeks, even. You're sure that you've lived all of this before. But you just can't remember." He sounded desperate, pleading for me to understand.

Mutely, I shook my head.

"I hadn't either." Slowly, he unclenched his fist and folded his hands together. "Until now." Like he was willing his voice to stay calm, he continued. "I don't know what it is, Edward. It's not just because I'm afraid of Bella hurting you that I feel uneasy about all this. I can't explain it, even to myself. But something about Bella Swan is not right."

No, Carlisle. She's perfectly normal. A perfectly normal serial killer. I shrugged, unwilling to trust my voice to stay even.

"You disagree."

"She's not quite normal," I agreed carefully, afraid that he would become suspicious of me. "But I don't think she's anything to be afraid of." Blood. Screaming. She did it defensively, though. My mantra would never end.

"I'm not afraid of her." He stared out the window broodingly. "Did we ever hear if she made it home safely? I'm assuming you have seen her at school, of course."

I was shaking. "No, she hasn't been there. She's on an extended absence. No one quite knows why."

He went sheet-white. I thought he might pass out. "I want to remember, Edward!"

I'd never seen my foster father look so confused, so helpless, so desperate. All my problems melted momentarily. I could imagine perfectly the jumble his thoughts would be – mirroring mine to a slightly less insane degree, I was sure. I could almost visualize his confusion, his frustration. I saw him standing alone, so terribly alone, in a confusing place full of nightmares and bad dreams. The Angel would come, he was sure of it. But she wasn't here yet.

And now she wasn't here at all.

I gasped. "Carlisle, this has happened to you before!"

He looked up at me, unsurprised. At times, our minds almost… connected. If I had a very close bond with someone, it was very easy for me to read their thoughts, their emotions. It wasn't like I read minds. It was just a feeling. Most of the time. Sometimes, like now, the thoughts were frighteningly clear.

"I know it has."

"Who is she? The Angel?"

"That's what I don't know. I don't know how Bella is related to this. I don't know what the danger was. I just know there was danger. And I didn't have to be afraid."

Ordinarily, that would have sounded incredibly corny, especially coming out of Carlisle's mouth. But I saw the truth of his words. And they created an echo in my own mind – an experience I could share. Danger. An Angel. How many times had I thought of Bella as a sort of Destroying, Fallen Angel?

"It's not possible she's the Angel, is it?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Edward." Carlisle rubbed his temples. "I promise you, I will drive myself mad if I spend another moment thinking about this. What did you come here to talk about?"

"I –" I was going to come and tell him I was worried about Bella. That something didn't seem right. That there was trouble, confusion. But he'd covered all that. There only remained one thing. The scariest thing. "Carlisle, I think I'm in love. With an Angel."

His eyes were dark. "Let's hope she's one of the good kind," he said, without a trace of mockery.

I smiled awkwardly and left the room as quickly as I could, not feeling a bit better.

***

I almost expected Carlisle to tell Esme about our little discussion. But he didn't. It stayed between us – not really an awkward boundary that we couldn't cross, but a terrifying connection we didn't dare mention. Our little secret. Personally, I would have preferred it if it were a better secret to share.

Still, being moderately candid with someone turned out to be surprisingly refreshing. Even though the rest of the world still pestered me, at least I knew that Carlisle was just as confused, just as frustrated as I was. That helped, actually. It genuinely made things better.

Sort of.

I got into a sort of monotone routine. I got up. I dressed. I made my way through the school day mechanically, blatantly ignoring the empty seats that Bella should have filled. I came home, did my homework. I avoided my siblings. I went to bed, had nightmares. It was rote, and it was repetitious. It was oddly comforting.

I almost got to the point where I enjoyed the bleakness of these days – an alternative to thinking too much – when three things happened in quick succession. The first happened on the Sunday afternoon of the fourth week.

The phone rang at two o'clock, and I heard Alice get it. Her voice trilled distantly somewhere in the house, and then she shrieked. After hanging up the phone, she called, "Someone, turn on the TV. News, please. It's important." Then she ran upstairs and started banging on doors. "That was Carlisle. Something big is happening. There's been a disappearance. Come on. We have to see this."

I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door to look at her questioningly. Her face lit up. "There you are, Edward. You've been hiding from us for a while. I need to talk to you. But now isn't the time. God, you have to come. Rose! Get your ass out of the bathroom. Come on!"

Chattering nonstop, Alice dragged me downstairs, to where Emmett already had the TV on to our local news. Charlie Panzica, the obnoxious intern who covered the early afternoon shift – when all the higher-ups were at lunch – sat behind the news desk smugly, reading off the teleprompter with a certain glee that seemed not at all fitting for the news he reported.

"We're getting reports from the Forks Police Station of a missing man. The man is forty-five, balding, oh!" He seemed shocked. "We're getting reports that Deputy Police Chief Charlie Swan has not been seen in the past forty-eight hours. He failed to show up at work yesterday, and his house appears to be vacant. The Police Department is scrambling to start an investigation without their Chief of Police.

"Investigators say that there are no signs of foul play in Chief Swan's disappearance. His house does not seem to have been broken into, and there has been no ransom note. To disprove this theory, though, his car is still in his driveway and no personal items seem to have been taken from his house.

"Anyone with information regarding the Chief's whereabouts should contact…"

But I'd stopped listening when he said Charlie Swan. Bella's dad. Bella's dad was missing. My siblings sat on the couch, watching the news intently, but all I could do was stand there, frozen, thinking about the implications.

I meant to talk to Carlisle about it when he got home, but the second thing had to go happen. He had other news for me. "Edward," he said, his voice low and urgent, almost as soon as he set foot in the house. "I remembered. A little bit. There were people there who were looking for something. I think, Edward, that they were looking for me. They wanted me for something. I don't know what."

I nodded woodenly. "I suppose you've heard about Charlie Swan."

Carlisle nodded gravely. "Yes. Everyone is panicking. If we don't have him here to keep us safe, what will?"

_The Angel_, I wanted to scream. "When you were there, with the people. Were you there voluntarily?"

"No, I don't think so."

But then Esme crowded herself into our hallway and swept Carlisle away, leaving me wondering. If Carlisle had been taken, and the Angel had come for him, then maybe she would come for Charlie now.

Dear god. I wasn't making any sense to myself. The Angel couldn't be Bella. I knew Bella. Sort of. She wasn't old enough to have been there for Carlisle, as young as he may have been. But she was all I could think about. And there was this strange nagging in the back of my mind, begging me to think about it more. I couldn't make myself do it. I couldn't. I was afraid to.

The one who held the answer to all my questions appeared at school the next day. I didn't have to get out of my car in the parking lot to know that Bella was back. I could _feel_ it. It helped that half the boys I saw walking past had sickening, glazed-over looks in their eyes. But I knew she was there.

Sure enough, I saw her sitting across the cafeteria, wedged awkwardly in between Mike and Eric. Alice squealed and nudged me with her bony elbow.

"Ow, dammit." I rubbed my ribcage. "Alice, you should know better than that. You're going to bruise me."

"Vicious, isn't she?" Jasper grinned.

"Bella's here, Edward. Bella's back." Alice seemed to be convinced she was bringing me the best of news.

"I saw."

"Bella's here. And she's looking at you."

Not really wanting to, but also unable to resist, I glanced up. Bella's eyes were fixed directly on our table – on me. They were black, probing, and intense. I shivered. "That she is."

And then, very deliberately, Bella whispered something in Mike's ear, clapped Eric on the shoulder, and stood with her lunch tray. She crossed the room to where the trash can was, and dumped her uneaten lunch. Then she came up to our table – I wouldn't have noticed at all if Alice hadn't been pinching me so hard under the table – and leaned over me.

"Edward." Her breath was sweet and intoxicating, her face dizzyingly close. "I need to talk to you. Now."

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**Haha. ****Cliffie. I'm sorry, guys****. ****This was the best I could do for a zinger. It was in a relatively short time. I needed to get all this out. I'm just afraid it's a little compressed… I really did have to happen this way. I promise you. LaLaLovely, I tried to expand. I hope I did well. I hope this wasn't too much internal monologue, and had enough of a carrying plot.**

**I hate to do this, but someone told me it might work. You're probably all going to hate me for this. I probably will break my promise because I won't be able to stand it. I hate it when authors do this. But I really need a morale booster, and serious feedback would be really, really nice. Plus, it'll get my butt in gear and make me write faster. Hypothetically.**

**So, no new update until I get ten more reviews. That's an order. Dear god, I'm such a horrible person. Will you never forgive me?**


	16. Idiot

**I am aware that this chapter is a filler. It's not exactly necessary, but I had to put this in somewhere. And I didn't want to tack in their full conversation because then it would have been way too long. So, I'm sorry, it's another cliffie. But after babysitting I have no homework, so I can probably post the next chapter today. Hopefully.**

**This is dedicated to ellibobelli, who will be leaving us soon. In memory of all the wonderful fan fics she has written, and in thanksgiving for her amazing support.**

**Also, thank you guys so much for all the reviews on the last chapter. Can we try for ten on this one again? If you're adding this as a favorite, or an alert, or if you're just reading, can you take an extra two seconds to tell me what you think? I'm not asking for a novel, like the darling LaLaLovely writes me. Just a simple hey. Good or bad. It doesn't matter. Reviews really make an author's day.**

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****Angel – Chapter Sixteen**

BPOV

After a few weeks of pursuing, of chasing, I grew bored. I knew I should have been more engaged. I was doing good work. I was doing what I had to do to keep people safe – even if it was people I didn't especially like.

After a few weeks of chasing, though, I started to get the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The subject of my hunt wandered too aimlessly, set a pace that was too steady. We crisscrossed the country east to west, north to south. I couldn't tell why, though. My quarry seemed to have no set destination, which couldn't be right. I knew her well. She had to have some goal.

After a few weeks of pursuing, I realized that I was a total idiot. No matter what side of the country we were on, we never came close to Forks. We didn't even cross the Washington border. I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to figure out that I'd been chasing after a red herring this whole time.

The more I thought about it, the more idiotic I felt. I had left so quickly, so sure of a fast chase, that I'd left forks unprotected. Charlie, Carlisle, the Cullens… _Edward_. All very vulnerable to attack while I was out on a wild goose chase, selfishly enjoying running free and letting a bit of my strength loose.

I had failed. Again.

As soon as this realization hit me, I turned around and shot out of California, desperate to get home and assess the damage I'd left behind. God! How could I have been so stupid? If I blew it this time, if I made the same mistake that had gotten me into such trouble before… I wouldn't be able to live with myself. There was too much at stake this time. Even more than there had been before.

I had plenty of time to think about the irony of my reactions as I ran. I'd murdered an innocent, drunk human when I thought he'd meant harm to one of the Cullens. Fine, when I'd thought he meant harm to Edward. And when the real monsters came to Forks – possibly – I was nowhere to be found.

Edward's name haunted me as Sacramento flew by under my feet. Out of all the Cullens, he was the one who made me the most anxious. It wasn't Carlisle anymore. Especially because I was the only one with memories of that year, Carlisle's problems seem3ed very far away, long forgotten among my new worries for his whole family.

Even though that problem and this one were, essentially, one in the same.

I worried about all of them, of course. That was my whole reason for being here. But Edward, especially, and I couldn't put my finger on any particular reason. He wasn't any different from the others, his scent aside. He was the quietest, the most reserved. By definition, I should have been least worried about him, because his low profile made him less of a target.

Somehow, though, that made everything worse. He was a loner, unlike the others. As he had classily proved to me that night, he was easy to get alone. He didn't have a partner who stuck with him.

And then he went and smelled so damn tasty, too.

It didn't help me, either, that the most vulnerable of the Cullens was also the most observant. I could see why he would be wanted – he showed much potential. So they were more likely to go after him. And it didn't work in my favor, either. He knew things about me that weren't bad, per se, but didn't put me in such a favorable light. It would have been better if he had not seen that, if I had been able to control myself. But he had seen, and I had just barely had the strength to stay away once the blood started flowing.

Even the memory of it had my muscles tight, my throat burning, and the venom flowing in my mouth.

I couldn't bring myself to make Edward forget, either. I could have. I should have. It would have been easy, and would be the best thing for all of us. Somehow, though, I just couldn't. In part, my attentions were already stretched to a near breaking point. The strain of holding things in place was too much. I was sure I would start slipping soon, if I hadn't already. I didn't need to add Edward to my list.

And there was a selfish part of me that wanted him to remember, wanted him to know what I was. He'd said my name in his dreams. He thought about me. Even if it was in nightmares. That shouldn't have mattered to me, but it did – hugely. A part of me urged my more sensible side to drop the pretenses, with Edward at least. He'd seen enough by that point that the whole truth probably wouldn't have shocked him much.

But for the love of God, he was _just_ Edward Cullen. No need to spill my secrets to the human boy who gave me such an inordinate amount of trouble.

Whatever I did, I had to do something soon. My time was running out.

This was, of course, assuming that I had time to do something. I couldn't be sure that, when I returned, Forks wouldn't be in shambles.

I hit Forks' boundaries at half past six on a Monday morning. Just in time to change into a decent set of clothes and to make up a cover story for when I went to school.

The hallways of Forks High School were buzzing with a low, electric chatter. The atmosphere was tense; everyone seemed to be on edge. So something _had_ happened. Fabulous.

I walked into my first hour English class and all eyes turned to me. The room went deadly silent. My head down, my confusion growing, I slipped into my seat at the front of the room. Everyone continued to stare.

"Any news about your dad, Bella?" Eric Yorkie asked finally, his eyes glowing like he expected something of dire importance to come out of my mouth.

I was promptly confused. My dad? But then I heard some of the whispers that rippled through the room. Oh, right. Charlie. "What do you mean?" I asked uneasily.

"Are there any leads on his whereabouts?" asked a boy named Conner.

I felt cold. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Geeze, Bella," Eric said, looking simultaneously shocked at my cluelessness and smug that I was talking to him. "Where have you been? Haven't you heard?"

Panic clouded my thoughts. _Not Charlie_! But I forced myself to keep functioning, to stay calm for the sake of a classroom full of humans. "I've been away, visiting my mom. What happened, Eric?"

He flinched, like my intensity frightened him. I struggled to take deep, calming breaths.

"Your dad went missing a few days ago. It's all over the news."

"Missing?" I repeated dully. My mind raced through possible scenarios. None of them was pretty.

"Missing." Eric looked at me like he was trying to decide if I was lacking intelligence. "Did you really not hear about it?"

I scrambled for another quick lie. "I thought he just wasn't answering his phone. I did leave him a lot of messages."

His face grew sympathetic and he patted my hand, like that could solve all my problems. His skin was burning hot against mine, and I was very aware of the eyes of the whole class focused on us.

Eric seemed to be enjoying the spotlight. I smiled tightly and him and pulled my hand away, just as Mrs. Payne walked into the class.

I paid very little attention for the next three and a half hours. I was too busy worrying about Charlie. There was only one person who really knew how strong the bond between Charlie and I was. I truly _had_ failed. I'd spent the last thirty years making sure that Charlie would stay safe. Thirty years of work down the drain.

I wasn't the only one who was disappointed in me. Little Alice Cullen, who had fourth hour with me, surprised me by confronting me as soon as I sat down.

"Back from your little trip, are you, Bella?" she asked coldly.

"Hi Alice. Yes." Her angry face made me mildly uneasy. I hadn't done anything to her directly, and I prayed that Edward hadn't said anything to her about me.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." She scowled and slammed her binder shut.

"Actually, no. I had a stressful month. And I just came home to find that my dad is missing. Is there something wrong?"

She kept her eyes down on her desk. "You were gone for an awful long time."

"I was. What's the matter?"

Finally, Alice looked up at me. Her eyes burned. "Bella. What were you thinking? What did you do to my brother?"

I stared at her blankly, having absolutely no clue what she was talking about.

"He's been going crazy this whole time. He won't tell us what's wrong. He barely talks to us anymore. And I think it's because he's thinking about you. Or something you did. Or something you said. He gets really defensive whenever your name comes up in conversation. What did you do to Edward?"

I tried to laugh easily. Tried and failed. "Nothing, Alice. I don't know what might have happened. He really hasn't said anything to you?" I tried not to think about how Edward might have been worrying about me. It shouldn't have mattered.

"No. And that's the problem. Edward tells me everything, Bella. What happened between you two?"

Maybe I should have tampered with Edward's memories. It would have made my life one hell of a lot easier. "Nothing happened between us that he didn't tell you, I'm sure. Should we just drop this, please, Alice? If it makes you feel better I'll talk to him about it today."

A bit of her anger dissipated. "You'd better. If I have to take another week of him moping around like this… Well, I know for sure that Jasper won't be able to take it." She frowned, her eyes far away. "It's really getting to him, you know, to have Edward so mopey. I don't think he'll be able to last any longer. Edward needs you here, Bella. I don't think it's right for him, but he needs to have a real talk with you."

I was surprised again. If she didn't approve of me, she shouldn't have wanted me around Edward. And she had every right _not_ to approve of me.

"You're confused," she said. Not a question. A fact.

"I am. I feel like you have conflicting ideas about me."

"I do." Alice's eyes turned warm. "But I'll do anything for Edward, you know? He is my brother. I can deal with you if it helps him."

Hardly complimentary. "I still don't think I understand why he needs me so much. But I'll talk to him."

"Thank you." She smiled at me awkwardly, and I looked away, grinning. If she didn't hate me, I was sure that I could have liked Alice Cullen a lot.

Lunch was next. I dragged my feet into my normal seat at the preppy table. Mike Newton beamed at me indecently, and Jessica Stanley scowled. Interesting. I'd have to have a few words with Mike about her. It was an easy solution to one of my problems, at least. If I could get him to stop drooling…

Eric slipped into the seat on my right and put his arm casually around the back of my chair. "I'm sorry for upsetting you in English, today, Bella. I assumed that you knew."

My smile grew forced. "No, I didn't' know. My parents aren't exactly on speaking terms, so my mom wasn't in contact with him at all."

Mike turned to me, concerned. "You didn't know about your dad? Geeze, Bella, do you need a place to go home to tonight? You could come over to my place."

I shuddered when I imagined some of the thoughts that could be going through his head. Across the table, Jessica sighed long-sufferingly.

"No, Mike. Thanks, though. I have my own place." I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes as soon as I said that. I knew I shouldn't have. Bad Bella. It would just attract more attention. I did not want attention right now.

"Whoa! Cool." Eric shifted his arm so that his hand was on my shoulder. "We should have a party at your place sometime."

I nodded. A shrill little voice across the room caught my attention.

"_Bella's here, Edward. Bella's back."_ Alice Cullen, pulling through for me. I turned to see how Edward would react, assessing the damage.

"_I saw."_ He sounded like he was choking. I had to do something.

I leaned over to Mike, and said, "Keep an eye on things, will you? I have a few things to go take care of before Biology. I'll see you then." I ignored the increase in Mike's heart rate and shoved Eric's shoulder gently so that I could scoot my chair back. "I'll see all you guys later."

Quickly, I crossed the room to dump my tray of uneaten food, and went to find Edward. Alice looked up at me, her eyes shining with excitement. Edward's face paled. "Edward, I need to talk to you. Now."

The big one, Emmett, started laughing giddily, and Rosalie, the blonde smacked him in the face. I suppressed a smile. Alice laced her fingers through Jasper's and smiled at me with relief. Edward stood awkwardly, and I tried to smile.

"Alone, please." I set off, assuming, correctly, that he would follow.

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**Keep your fingers crossed for another chapter tonight, if I can survive the terrors I have to care for. I love you all so much. Thank you.**


	17. Cracking

**Hey guys. I'm sorry about the last chapter. Mixed reviews, but hey. I had to get it out there.

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****Angel – Chapter Seventeen**

BPOV

I pulled Edward outside into the courtyard. He stumbled along behind me, and I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"Bella, what is it? Can't you tell me now?"

I slowed to a stop, and he stopped too, looking grateful. Then he looked at me, expectantly. I realized he expected me to say something.

"Would you like to sit?" I gestured to a little bench. He sat, ignoring the fact that the wood was soggy and wet. Either he really wanted this talk, or he was too scared of me to care if it looked like he wet himself. I sighed, and didn't sit. I paced.

"What is it, Bella? Is it really so important that you can't tell me?"

I was surprised by the edge in his voice. He sounded… mad. "Actually, Edward," I said, as calmly as I could, "your sister Alice implied that _you_ wanted to talk to _me_." I was still grasping at straws. I had no idea what I was going to say. A very, very large part of me wanted nothing more than to tell him…

Edward sighed and started tapping his foot irritably. "Alice would do that, too." He grimaced. "What did she say I wanted to tell you? Did she tell you that you would have to pry the answers out of me? How much did she offer to pay you if you would report back to her and tell her what's wrong with me?"

I bit my lip back against a few choice retorts. "She didn't say anything like that. Just that you wanted to talk."

He sighed again, looking deflated. "Fine. Bella Swan, I am mad at you."

I chuckled. It was not at all the answer I expected. "Finally. A rational response. I knew you couldn't keep up your innocent, forgiving angel streak forever."

"Wait, what?"

Though it was tempting to hmm, haw, and look away, I looked him straight on. "Edward, you're mad at me because of what happened that night, aren't you? You're mad because you saw me do something unsavory to another human being. What else? Don't shirk away from it. It's a perfectly natural response."

But his face held shock. "That's not at all what I mean. That… I'm sure you have your reasons." For some reason, his face turned pink. "But really, I'm mad because you left without saying anything. I thought for a while that you were mad at me, or something. But then you just stopped coming…" He squared his shoulders. "I was confused. Frightened. Pick a word. Carlisle has been having nightmares. Carlisle is never wrong about anything. Alice is getting more and more paranoid by the day. Alice always has a sense of what's coming before it happens. Your dad, disappearing. Bella, there's something wrong going on here. Something bad is in Forks. It doesn't feel right not having you here to fend it off."

Wait. He was mad at me for leaving him? Some nervous reaction made me giggle. "Edward Cullen, you are the most ridiculous creature I've ever met." Of course. Contrary Edward Cullen. He _would_ want the monster there to keep him safe.

He didn't laugh. "I'm dead serious, Bella. How could you do that? I mean, I saw what you did then. And like I said, I'm sure you had your reasons. But I know what you're capable of. I know what you're able to stop. If there's something bad happening… I have this feeling that you can make things better."

I stopped laughing. "That's a very dangerous idea, Edward. I'd advise you not to pursue it."

Edward lifted his chin defensively, chewing his lip in what I'd grown to recognize as a nervous habit. "Why not? How is it dangerous to want to be safe?"

And I was truly backed into a corner. Sighing, I sat down next to him, and my pants were immediately soaked. I felt him stiffen, but he didn't lean away like a normal person would with this proximity to someone… someone like me. "Do you really think that I'm safe, Edward?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

All that ran through my head was _shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._ You'd think that after forty years of this I'd have gotten better about subtlety. "Edward, you saw me rip the head off a man. How can I be safe?"

He seemed to be hesitating, choosing his words carefully.

"Just say it."

In a rush, he said, "You wouldn't have done that if you weren't trying to keep me safe. Sure, it was an overreaction. But we all make mistakes."

I stared.

He cringed. "I'm sorry. I said something wrong, didn't I?"

Not wanting to frighten him, I lied. "No. Not really."

"Bella, I don't want you to hate me. And I feel like you do. If I'm doing something wrong, just tell me." He hesitated. "It would also help to know why, but you know… We can't always have everything."

God bless him. I loved Edward Cullen. Well. Not like that. I didn't think. I hadn't loved a human in a very, very long time. But I could have kissed him for not pushing me. Although, simultaneously, he really was begging me to give him some answers. Instead of kissing him, I looked down, unable to keep eye contact without feeling ashamed of myself.

"Edward… It isn't that I want to lie to you. It's just that the truth is complicated. Too complicated. And dangerous."

He folded his hands in his lap and looked at me patiently. I felt like a horrible person. Other than Charlie, and maybe Carlisle, no other human had made me want to be so open as Edward made me want to be now. I had to knot my fingers together, to keep myself from reaching out to brush a strand of wet hair out of his inviting green eyes.

"I think I can handle the truth."

I closed my eyes, so I didn't have to look at him. I played with a strand of hair, worrying it too fast between my fingers. Fast enough to confuse him. I heard his intake of breath.

"The truth will only complicate things."

"I deserve to know I'm keeping a secret for you already."

I opened my eyes to look at him dubiously. "Do you really want to keep another secret?"

"You could think of it as a bribe." He shrugged, making an obvious effort to lighten his expression. "You know, I've been wanting to know for a while, and you could tell me in exchange for your secret."

"Edward…" Why did he make things so difficult? "It's not that I don't want to tell you because I enjoy keeping my little secret. Honestly. But I have to worry about what would happen if people found out. I don't want to put you in a more vulnerable position than the one I've already stuck you in. You're safer knowing the public story."

Edward bit his lip. "I don't care."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I admitted. "You handle things too calmly. You're going to crack one of these days, and it will be entirely my fault."

Tentatively, he reached out to touch my hand. I flinched, but didn't pull away. "Bella, I didn't tell anyone about what happened in the alley. You can trust me."

I wasn't going to tell him, I wouldn't tell him, I shouldn't tell him. Oh, hell. He was so close, so tantalizing. He smelled so good, his warmth was so inviting. And he was so beautiful… "I'm a vampire!" I blurted, too loudly.

Edward dropped my hand, and his eyes widened.

Mike Newton, who was walking on the other side of the courtyard, turned to stare.

I felt positively ill.

"Oh. Shit."

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**I know it's a tad rushed, and a tad OOC. But. **

**Ten reviews?**** Possibly? It makes me happy. It makes me post tomorrow (possibly). It makes me ace my Bio test. And it brings you an EPOV tomorrow that will (hopefully) blow you away. Hopefully.  
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	18. Consequences

**Oh my God, you guys. I am so sorry about the last chapter. (Heh heh…) I have a thing for cliffies right now.**

**Thank you to everyone who left me super enthusiastic reviews. I bet you weren't expecting an update so soon.

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****Angel – Chapter Eighteen**

**EPOV  
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"I'm a vampire!" Bella shouted.

I froze, my mind racing. _No, impossible_. But it fit. All of it. Everything. The speed, the strength. The aversion to blood. The inhuman beauty. The icy cold feel of her hand in mine. I dropped her hand quickly, terrified of the consequences of me angering her. She probably hadn't meant to say that. She probably was mad at me for forcing it out of her.

Crap.

I heard a familiar, unpleasant laughter across the way. "Hey, Bella!" Mike shouted brazenly. "Halloween was a while ago."

Bella's stony face and petrified body relaxed just slightly. Just enough to move. "It's April Fool's Day, Mike," she called back, almost calmly.

He laughed again and kept walking.

Bella turned to me, her amber eyes huge, apologetic. Wary. The hard, white line of her jaw was tight, but that was the only sign of panic that she showed. "Edward. Oh my God. I am so sorry!" A little crease of worry dented her forehead, between her eyebrows.

"Why?" She was talking to me. She wasn't angry. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. Bella had told me the truth, and she didn't hate me for it. I realized at that point that I wasn't mad at her anymore.

"Why?" she repeated. Her expression remained calm, unchanged, but her eyes scrutinized my face too intently. "You're too calm. I told you, it's unnatural. I just told you I'm a monster." The word monster seemed to bother her. Her mouth twisted into a microscopic grimace.

"So far, the only bad thing you've done is lie to Mike. I can't argue with that." Actually, it made me feel slightly victorious. She lied to Mike, but not to me. She trusted me.

"What?" She blinked at me.

"April Fool's Day is tomorrow, Bella."

She stopped looking so calm when she rolled her eyes and moaned with exasperation. "You're missing the point, Edward. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I'm _not_ safe. I'm not good for you to know. I've done fare worse than lying to Mike Newton. I've _killed_ people, Edward." Her voice broke on the word people, which made a difference. Showed that she cared. "Not just that night, but before. Unprovoked. For pleasure." She got up and started to pace. "Real people. With families, friends, and futures. Sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers…" Her eyes shone, as if with tears. "Edward, I killed them all. You can't excuse that. Not even you."

In spite of her tough, unbreakable façade, Bella looked very lost, very alone. I wanted to go to her, to assure her that everything was still okay. But I forced myself to stay sitting. "Do you still?" My voice shook, and I willed it to stay strong. "Still, you know… kill people?"

"No." She flinched.

"Do you regret it?"

"Yes," she whispered, standing statue-still in front of me, her perfect face stricken.

"Then it doesn't really matter." My decisiveness surprised me.

She kept staring. "How can you _say_ that? I haven't been a human in forty years, and I feel horrible about it, disgusted with myself. And you –" She waved hopelessly. "You're human."

"You used to be human?" I blurted, unthinkingly.

A spark of amusement lit Bella's dead eyes. "Of course. Please don't tell me you thought I was born a bat, or something."

"Well…" I flushed, and she snickered.

The bell rang, and we both jumped.

"Biology, Edward?" She smiled almost sadly and held out a hand to me. Tentatively, I took it, and she pulled me to my feet.

"I'd rather ask you questions."

"Yes, well, I'd rather not have to sit through my ninth year of Biology classes. Alas, we don't always get what we want."

And so I followed after her, sure I was dreaming it all.

***

People stared at us when we walked into class together. I tried not to notice. I doubt that Bella _did_ notice it. She must have been very used to it.

The strangest feeling of giddy adrenaline rushed through my body when we sat down only a foot apart from each other. It wasn't because I hadn't seen her in a month, nor was it just because she was a beautiful, dangerous vampire. That didn't matter, really. But I was finding myself more and more in love with her.

She got out her book, notebook, and pen calmly, as if nothing had just happened. When she turned to me, her face was determinedly casual and very easy to read. _For the purposes of this class, we didn't just have a conversation._ "I'm afraid I'm a bit behind, Edward. What have we covered lately?"

"Um." I tried to collect my thoughts – which were all scattered and backwards when she looked at me with her incredible eyes. She smirked. "We just covered DNA. But Mr. Banner said we'd be doing a lab today."

As if on cue, Mr. Banner walked in with a big box, which he placed on Mike's table.

"Oh, no," Bella whispered.

I looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head. Her face was paler than its normal alabaster.

"This weekend," Mr. Banner announced, "there is a blood drive in Port Angeles. I would highly encourage all of you to go. Seriously, guys, it really means a lot to a lot of people. Anyways, today we will be blood typing." He dug through his box and pulled out a little blue kit.

My eyes flashed to Bella, whose head was down on the table, buried in her arms.

Holding her breath?

I heard giggles and shrieks, and turned to see Mr. Banner holding up an indicator card that dripped red with Mike's blood. "Please follow these instructions with your lab partner. I'm going to be making rounds with the kits."

I glanced quickly around the room, my pulse racing and my stomach queasy with nerves. There was no clear escape, and Mr. Banner was already going around passing out tester kits.

He stopped at our desk. Bella managed to sit up and look normal. "Hey, everyone on this side of the class, listen up."

Heads turned again in our direction.

"In past classes, people in the back of the room haven't been able to see the demonstration, so I'm going to show you how to again. Bella? Edward? Would one of you like to volunteer to be an example?"

"Edward volunteers," Bella said quickly. She shoved me a slip of paper while Mr. Banner got out a new prick.

_Faint before he jabs you. I'll get us out of here._

I crumpled the note and smiled shakily at Mr. Banner, who snapped his gloves ominously. "So basically…" He took my hand. "You want to prick the very tip of the finger with your micro lancet." He held up the barbed piece of plastic.

Bella was tense beside me. I didn't dare to look at her. I had to wait to the last possible moment, to make it less obvious. The pick was coming closer and closer…

Oh my God. Ow.

I saw my blood beading on my finger. I saw Bella's eyes turn black.

I saw red.

I fainted.

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**Yeah, sorry it's short. But... Please tell me what you think. If I can finish my English essay in time, I might be able to post another chapter again tonight. I have ideas. Ten reviews? Or… if I have another sneak peak? Of course, that would actually require my WRITING a sneak peak. We'd have to see about that.**

**Love you all so much.**


	19. Jealousy Extra Scene

**Dearest all – I did write another chapter. Or, most of one. I promise you I did. I did mean to update… at some time or another. I promise you, I did. Unfortunately, my life is a mess right now. No, I don't want to talk about it. Well. Maybe with some people. Whatever. That's irrelevant. My computer died, though, and now that most of a chapter is lost. SO.**

**I will be rewriting it at some point. Really, I will. Maybe this weekend, although it's not a chapter I'm particularly fond of, and typing it will be like typing through molasses. I swear, if I didn't have so much homework and if I wasn't trying to edit a novel, I would have put up a new chapter. Really. **

**Oh, and if my computer weren't broken. So now I have to use my dad's laptop. When he's home.**

**But I told myself that I wouldn't be complaining. I am writing this tonight for three reasons – to tell you that I'm still alive, to thank you for your wonderful reviews and hope that possibly you still love me, and to bribe you all into sticking around by offering you a little tidbit that probably would never have made it into the story. It's not particularly long, nor is it particularly good. Nor do I usually talk like this, thank you for wondering. But it's just enough to make you really interested, I know. It's not like I haven't heard all your questions about Charlie. I've just intentionally ignored them. Here's one to throw you through the loop a little more. Also, I am enamored of it. So don't bash it. Jk. Bash all you want. **

**This is dedicated to all who review, but mostly to INeedEdwardMoreThanLifeItself for one of the most amazing reviews I've ever gotten. I'm not sure I ever replied to it. I have it sitting in my inbox, waiting for the day that I get off my lazy ass and have the time to thank you for your amazingness. Or I could just dedicate this to you. Your choice.**

**Note to reader – CPOV does indeed refer to… CHARLIE!

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**CPOV

Bella has always taken care of me. Even when… others didn't make it, Bells always had it in for keeping me alive. To a certain extent, it made me feel selfish, knowing that I'd made the cut and other, equally deserving people hadn't. I tried to ask her once. She told me I survived because I was special to her. I wasn't sure if being special was such a good thing, morally.

But my doubts faded every time I was near her. She was so beautiful, so strong. So self-assured. And I took pleasure in being special. She told me she loved me, and I believed her. Why shouldn't I? She'd never given me a reason to doubt her. Ever.

Consequently, I wasn't worried when they first came for me. I told them – "Bella will be here soon. And she'll come get you. You shouldn't make her angry." I felt childish. It was too easy to slip back into those old shoes, to believe that one strong person could fix everything. I _wanted_ her to save me. She never ignored what I wanted.

They'd laughed at me. Their condescending faces were familiar ones that had haunted my dreams for decades. They hadn't changed one bit. Just like her. "What are you going to do," they mocked. "Call Mommy?" And they laughed, their beautiful, horrible voices that raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Memories. Pain. Loss. Really, I hated them. I wished I could be the one to kill them. They were crossing the line, and I deserved my revenge. But I knew when to hold my tongue. So I said nothing,

Chuckling, they hauled me away. I didn't fight them. I knew I was nothing but bait – I didn't need to be unduly concerned. Bella _would_ come. And she _would_ save me. I did not doubt that. She'd never let me down before.

Now, though, two weeks had passed without a sign of her.

One of them, a female, smiled at me cruelly. Rachel, her name was. I shivered as her teeth glinted, all to aware of what those teeth had done.

"Still nothing, Charlie?" It was amazing that such an angelic voice could belong to such a devil.

I said nothing,

She walked – or, rather, glided – up to me and touched my chin, forcing me to look at her. "Would you like to see her?" she crooned. 'Would you like to know where she is?"

I stiffened. I wasn't a child, and she didn't need to treat me like one. I'd been taught not to give into their powers, their persuasions. It was all a lie. They only said what they said because they hated us.

Rachel misinterpreted the face I made. Cooing, she stroked my cheek. I flinched. "Look, Charlie. Look at your Bella now." She forced me to look. In the middle of the room stood a life-sized image of Bella.

But it wasn't just Bella. She held someone tightly to her, burying her face in his mess of copper hair, looking worried. As she pouted, she said something to him that I couldn't hear.

I recognized the boy – Edward Cullen. He looked at her without fear, his eyes warm and his arms comfortably wrapped around her waist. He looked almost as worried as she, and asked a question.

She gripped him tightly, staring sternly into his face. She said something very serious, and he opened his mouth as if to protest.

Then slowly, tenderly, she leaned closer, cutting him off. And she pressed her lips to his forehead.

I went numb.

Rachel lifted her hand from my cheek and the image of Bella faded slowly. "Does it hurt, Charlie?" she asked sweetly. "To see that your Bella isn't everything you've dreamed? All your threats. Empty, aren't they? Oh, but surely she hasn't forgotten you. She just got… sidetracked."

"Bella_ will_ come for me," I said mechanically. What was it that she'd always told me? That they were liars. I shouldn't believe anything they said. But I felt empty. No, not empty. Angry. Not at them. I was angry at Bella. What was she doing with Edward Cullen? Why did he get to be the one in her arms, while I was stuck here?

Even after Rachel left, I saw Bella and Edward very clearly. Just that one image. Her lips on his forehead. Gentle, comforting. Supportive. I'd been Edward once. Showed how much I mattered.

Doubt, fright. I felt all sorts of things, now, that I'd never had to feel.

Insignificance,

_Jealousy._


	20. Hemophilia

**There are no words that can express how sorry I am for the wait without me sounding like a tacky, lying bitch. I promise you that I am none of these things. I'm merely a stressed out teenager with too much of a life – or lack thereof. I am so, so sorry. And I am so, so insanely busy. I haven't forgotten this story. I hope I still have people willing to read it, after the long delay.**

**Also – I would like to inform people that this story is **_**not**_** incest. I've had a few people voice concerns about Bella and Charlie's relationship. This is a Bella/Edward story, not a Bella/Charlie story. FYI.**

**Oh, and, I'm taking this idea from Bec – whoever hates me enough to come up with the MOST CREATIVE DEATH THREAT as punishment for my absence will be rewarded. With… um… an excerpt from the next chapter?**

**Yeah. :)**

**I'm on spring break but I'm pretty busy. I might get one more chapter up this week. However, you all know how inconsistent I am. We'll see what happens.

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**

Ch. 19 – Hemophila

BPOV

I should have seen it coming. Things were going too smoothly with Edward, what with him taking me rationally and all. I knew there had to be _some_ drawback to the whole my-tua-cantante-knows-what-I-am-and-wants-to-stay-near-me-so-I-can-be-masochistic deal. I just didn't expect it to be this sudden… or this dangerous.

I should have been more careful. Edward plus sharp objects was a risky undertaking in normal circumstances. Adding blood typing to the equation was sure only to raise the stakes.

But I'd thought he was _intelligent_. I thought when I said "faint" he would faint – and fast. Apparently not.

I'd watched warily as Mr. Banner drew closer and closer with the little blue barb, _praying_ that Edward would cooperate. I watched the barb slice cleanly into his skin, my throat bursting into flames when I watched the blood bead on the pad of his finger, hot and wet and sweet – the sweetest thing I'd ever smelled. And _then_ Edward chose to slump forward, slipping off his lab stool, hitting the linoleum with a dull thud.

Mr. Banner leaned forward automatically, and a low growl slipped out through my clenched teeth. Sure, I held my breath _now_, but my brain was still fogged from the one whiff I'd gotten of Edward before I'd been able to stop myself.

"Don't. Touch. Him." Stupid human fool! Edward was _mine_. How _dare_ he get close to him like that, like he might take him away from me?

No, Edward was definitely on the menu. I wouldn't let an inconsequential human like Bob Banner get in my way. Although, I supposed if I had to he could be my appetizer… No, not worth it. The main course would outshine him by far.

"Bella?" Mr. Banner looked at me, his face pale, his eyes wide as his subconscious registered what he was too blind to see: the way my eyes were black as pitch, the way I leaned forward tensely, as if to spring, the animalistic rumble in my voice.

The shock and fear in his eyes derailed me and I fell back to Earth with an unpleasant jolt. I recognized the deer-in-the-headlights look. I'd seen it many times before – the men in the alley, the first man I hunted, my mom, my dad, my brother, my Charlie… Charlie! There was a reason I didn't kill people anymore. But my total lack of self-control landed Charlie in the trouble we were all in now.

I cut off my airflow, for Charlie. I forced myself to relax, for Charlie. I made an excuse… for Edward.

"Mr. Banner, Edward is a hemophiliac. I should take him to the nurse's office right away. He might bleed to death."

He relaxed visibly. "Of course, Bella. Do you need someone to help you carry him?"

_No!_ the monster in me snarled.

I smiled tightly. "No, thanks. I think I can handle it."

Now would have been the perfect time for Edward to start stirring. I had no intention of carrying his bleeding body across campus – not in the state I was in. I eyed him anxiously, hoping that he really _was_ only faking, and that he _would_ get up. But he didn't.

I gritted my teeth and slipped one arm under his head, the other under his legs. Effortlessly, I lifted him up, ignoring the fact that he smoldered in my arms too warmly, too temptingly. "I'll probably not be back," I managed to choke out. Then I shoved through the crowd of onlookers that had formed around our lab table, and hurried for the door.

Once I was outside, I glanced down at Edward's face and was horrified to see that it was in fact too pale. He looked almost as white as me. I ran as fast as was safe, hoping that maybe the wind on his face would wake him. If I was being perfectly honest, I was scared to death that something horribly wrong had happened to him. I imagined him never waking up, and felt like my heart was splitting in two.

Dammit. What was this? I hated Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen made me forget my mission. Edward Cullen made me almost murder Mr. Banner. Edward Cullen tempted me every second that he stayed alive.

I was at the nurse's office in half a second, hammering the door until someone opened up.

"Oh, dear!" It was Mrs. Cope, the largish, redheaded secretary. She caught her breath and I heard her heart stutter when her eyes landed upon Edward's face. He was attractive, for a human. He was also a million times younger than she. "What happened?"

I'd hoped I wouldn't have to talk. "Blood typing," I spat. "Biology."

"I see." She glanced up at me, and the light that had been in her face when she saw Edward disappeared. I wondered what she was thinking? _Damn, he's taken_?

Egotistical, Bella. Also, very, very wrong. You're not in love with Edward. You can't be in love with Edward. You're not supposed to be in love with Edward. I sighed.

"I think he's just nauseated by the blood, but I would greatly appreciate it if Mrs. Stewart could examine him quickly…?"

Her smile was forced, jealous. Good god. "Of course, dear. Bring him right in and then you can get back to class."

I laid him down on the examination table and scowled. "I'm to stay with Edward." Thank you very little. Pedophilia is illegal, Mrs. Cope. Just go get Mrs. Stewart and no one will get hurt. I took a deep breath through my nose and winced. Edward was still bleeding.

"I'll go get the nurse," she said uncertainly. I glared at her until she walked out. I shouldn't let my temper get the better of me like this, but sometimes I just couldn't help it.

As soon as she was gone, I moved back to Edward's side and touched his face. He groaned quietly and his eyes fluttered. I stroked his cheek evenly, and he woke. "Bella?" he said hoarsely.

"Edward." My voice was harsher than I meant for it to be. I tried to soften it. "Are you alright?"

He looked around and his eyes widened. "Oh, god Bella! I'm so sorry. I meant to faint, I really did, but it all happened so fast. Are you… okay?"

"I'm fine. What matters is you. You scared everyone when you fainted." I tried to say it calmly, but seemed to have failed. Realization dawned on his face, and he looked down at his bleeding finger.

"I'm so sorry." He put his hand over his finger, like that could stop the room from smelling like honey and sunshine. "I'm fine. But are you?"

I could lie to him and tell him that I was fine. The idea was tempting. I shrugged. "I've been worse."

He smiled faintly. The paleness of his skin still worried me. He seemed weak. "I'm sorry I miscalculated."

I'm sorry I came to class. "It's fine, Edward. We were just all worried about you. You were out for longer than I expected. You don't have hemophilia, do you?"

"Hemophilia?"

I forced a smile. "I told Mr. Banner that you have hemophilia so that I could get you out of class. I hope you don't mind. You won't have to go back now."

"That's okay, I guess."

The door creaked open and a small black woman came into the little room. "Mr. Cullen?"

"That's me." Edward leaned back into the exam table and pretended to be weak. I wondered if the nurse could feel the tension in the room.

"How are you feeling, dear?" She walked over with a clipboard and felt his forehead. "Still a little clammy?"

"I'm better," he said foggily. I winced, wondering if he was putting it on too hard. Maybe not. Maybe only I noticed the flaws in his acting.

She tutted and stuck a thermometer under his tongue. "What happened, exactly?"

"We were blood typing," I said coldly, the tension still oozing from every particle of my being. She jumped; maybe she hadn't seen me. I tried to soften. "The blood made him faint. I carried him over here after he didn't wake up."

The thermometer beeped and Nurse Stewart looked at it. "Your temperature is normal, Mr. Cullen. Do you think you can go back to class?"

He looked quickly at me and I shook my head infinitesimally. "Could I just go home?"

"I'll drive him," I volunteered. "He's clearly in no condition to drive."

He frowned. I smirked.

"When will your father be home, dear?" she asked him, jotting down his temperature on her clipboard. "I'm sure that he could give you a thorough examination when he gets home."

Edward nodded. "Yes. I'll ask him."

"Alright. You're all set, Edward. You feel better, now."

I lifted Edward off the crackly paper on the table and he scowled at me. "I can walk, Bella."

"I know."

The nurse frowned at our receding backs, and I carried Edward out into the rain.

"Show-off," he mumbled. "Now _everyone_ will know you're not normal."

"I know. But everyone already thinks I'm a freak so it doesn't matter."

"Bella, I _can_ walk. I'm not going to fall apart."

"I know." I smirked again. "But it's my duty to make sure you're safe, and in my book being safe includes not falling flat on your face on the asphalt and bleeding all over and…" Maybe I shouldn't go there.

"And what?"

"Nothing." I stared straight ahead into the sheeting rain. "I'll drive you home, Edward. You can ask me all the questions you want, then. I'm not coming back to school."

"Bella, I can drive."

"Alice can take your car home, if that's what you're worried about." I had a hunch about Alice. She probably had some inkling that Edward wouldn't be driving her home today. She seemed like an especially likely target. I needed to keep a closer eye on her.

He opened his mouth like he was going to protest, but clearly couldn't think of a good argument. "Can I ask you _anything_?"

I hesitated for half a second. "Yes." If I had to make him forget, I could. That was the last hope I was hanging on to. "Anything."

He seemed okay with that. We were silent as I carried him to my car. I noticed him examining my car closely, which pleased me. I approved of men who knew their cars – their _fast_ cars. He got in, and I walked to my side of the vehicle before he could buckle himself in.

"Should I ask… um… now?" Edward ran a hand through his already tousled hair. I supposed it was rather endearing. "Or when we get home? Will you stay with me?"

"I'll stay as long as you want me to, Edward." I cursed in my head. Why was I doing this? _I hate Edward Cullen. I'm only doing this to keep Charlie safe. I'm doing this because I made a promise to Carlisle a long time ago. I'm doing this because this is my revenge. I'm only taking Edward home because I need to keep him safe. I dislike Edward Cullen…_ It was harder and harder for me to believe myself.

He seemed reassured by this fact. But then he blushed.

"What?"

"Nothing. Um… Can I ask a question now?"

I smiled stiffly. "You just did."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Kidding, Edward. Go ahead." Jesus. Were all humans this awkward? Were they all so eager to please? It wasn't even fear. At least, not fear of the right kind. It was more… like he was trying to be perfect. Trying to get me to approve of him. What kind of fucked up, backwards game was this? Getting the vampire to approve of him. The tendency to get oneself into dangerous situations must have run in the Cullen family.

"You said…" Edward looked down at his folded hands. "You said that you're not a bat. What are you?" He took a deep breath, and suddenly the words spilled out in a torrent. I remembered that. I remembered having questions. "How do you become a vampire, if you were human once. What is a vampire, if you don't turn into a bat? How old are you? How long have you been… what you are? Why are you what you are? Why don't you kill people anymore?"

I sat quietly, waiting for him to finish. Abruptly, he closed his mouth. "Done?"

He flushed. "Yes."

I smiled. "That's okay. I will answer… most of your questions."

His face fell slightly. "Why not all?"

"Because you don't need to know everything."

"Oh."

I flicked the windshield wipers up a notch faster. "I'm not a bat, Edward. Vampires don't turn into bats. That's just Hollywood. We don't turn into anything, really. Just monsters when we're thirsty."

"Well then, what makes a vampire different from someone… else?"

I brushed my hand across his face, ignoring the way his pulse sped up. "Feel how cold I am?" I whispered. "Do you feel how hard my skin is? Look into my eyes, Edward. They're not a normal color. Do you remember the night in Port Angeles, how fast I moved? I don't eat food like you do. I don't sleep… ever."

His lips curved into a hint of a smile. "No coffins?"

I snorted. "No. That's just stupid."

"Sunlight?"

I hesitated. "No physical damage. Not like you would think. But I can't go out in the sun – not when there are people around. It sort of ruins the whole illusion of me being normal."

"Why is that?"

"Complicated. Next question?" I turned up the winding path that led to his long, winding driveway. He seemed surprised that I knew the way.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen. But I've been a vampire for forty years." I was old enough to be his grandmother – albeit a young grandma. That should have struck him as odd, but he only frowned momentarily.

"What happened, that changed you?"

My brain froze. "Next, Edward."

"What happened, Bella?"

"That's a story for another time," I said, in a clipped voice. "Not now. Please."

"Okay." He was still, quiet. I wondered if he'd forgotten his other questions, or if he was trying to think about my answers. I wished he wouldn't. The less he knew, the less trouble he would be in. I had a feeling that Edward was going to opt for trouble, instead of being safely ignorant.

I stopped the car in front of his house, and Edward made to get out.

"Wait." I held up a hand, and he froze.

"What?"

Very deliberately, I took a breath. Edward was, of course, the most dominant, mouthwatering, decadent smell in the immediate vicinity. But there were two other scents that stood out against the sharp, mossy smell of the surrounding forest, smells that made my stomach churn and my muscles tighten automatically.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward's voice cracked and his heart sped up again. I realized belatedly that my unexplained behavior would startle a human who didn't know normal vampire behavior.

"Shh. I smell something."

He held very still, his wide eyes glued to my face. I turned all my attention back to my nose. One scent was very faint, but very familiar – the smell of sunflowers and… was that chamomile? It was too sweet to belong to a human. A vampire, then? Someone I knew. Someone from a long time ago. But she'd already left.

I hissed. What did _she_ want? To warn me? I could take care of myself.

The other smell was equally familiar, but much more confusing. A human – sunshine and honey, faintly like Edward, but also apples and rosemary. A faint shadow of Edward. A human.

Dear God.

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**Shorter than I thought it was. The next chapter is good. REALLY good. I'm excited. So yeah. We'll see you next time. Hopefully much sooner. With much love,**

**Me.**

**Comments might make things go quicker... (HINT HINT)  
**


	21. Try To Remember

**Haha! This was fast, non? I hope you enjoy this. It's shorter than I remembered it being. For those of you on fanfiction, thank you for reviewing. It really means a lot to me, blah blah blah. **

**I'm going out of town tomorrow until Thursday. I might get some ideas while I gone. Then again, I might not. I don't have much planned up after this point. I mean I do. I have the whole plot. Just not the specifics.**

**Okay. Um, yeah. Please let me know what you think.., Oh! And! Dedicated to Selena, my mysterious anonymous reviewer who has reviewed so much, and so well. I wish with all my heart that I could send you a review reply. But… you don't have an account. Alas. Thank you for reading and enjoying.

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Chapter 20 – Try to Remember

CPOV (Carlisle)

"Doctor Cullen, are you alright?" Lisa asked me gently.

I finished drying my hand and turned to her. "Yes, fine. Just a little tired." Oh, just a _little_ tired. My head was throbbing, pounding. I felt like I was on fire. My vision blurred and faded. And I couldn't concentrate for the life of me.

Lisa read the lie in my face. "You should go home," she said quietly. "I'll clear your schedule for you and then drive you there."

"No, really, I'm fine." My eyes burned and her face blurred. What was _wrong_ with me?

She put a pale hand on my chest. I flinched; she was ice cold. "Carlisle, you're burning up. You're _sick_. You need to rest."

"I'm not sick," I said mechanically. I felt like I might vomit. The ice of her hand made my spine tingle, and her voice seemed to change. It was lighter, richer, more a song than words.

Lisa dropped her hand and I stepped back instinctively. "Give me your keys," she ordered, her palm out and open.

DON'T TRUST HER CARLISLE. YOU DON'T KNOW HER LIKE YOU SHOULD.

"I can drive myself home." I gripped the counter, my knees going weak. Some long-forgotten instinct made me want to run.

She moved a step closer, and her sweet breath wafted cool into my fiery face. "Bella would want you home."

My office disappeared. I was standing in the middle of a warehouse, surrounded by inhumanely beautiful people. Their eyes glinted red and dangerous, and low growls rumbled deep in their throats. My blood ran cold and, in the memory, I trembled with fear and exhaustion as I did now.

But one thought stood out clear in my mind, one that kept me on my feet.

_Bella would be there to save me._

Shock at the clarity of the memory jerked me back to consciousness. "You know Bella?" I gasped. My mind was racing. I knew intuitively that this memory was a part of the dream I'd been having – the one I couldn't remember.

Lisa smiled radiantly. "Good. You are remembering."

She held out her hand again and I dropped my car keys into her palm. "Remembering what?"

"Maybe I'll tell you when you're feeling better." Her brow furrowed when she saw me sway. "Come."

People stared at us on our way out. I'm sure they all thought me to be on my deathbed, as I stumbled after my chief nurse. I almost fell flat on my face a few times – I looked as bad as half the patients. Eventually, she had to carry me. Somewhere in my addled brain, I noted that she carried me effortlessly. She also knew exactly where my car was parked.

I may have fallen asleep while she drove me home, for the trip seemed to pass too quickly. She denied my invitation to come in.

"I should get back to the office, and you should rest." She stared out at the pouring rain like she could see someone out in the woods. "And you should rest, I think. You need your wits about you."

My thoughts blurred and my head throbbed as if the memory had a negative impact. Yes, the memory. I was sure it was real. Even though it couldn't be the same Bella. She was far too young…

"Go inside and lock the doors," Lisa said flatly. "Please don't worry about anything, Carlisle. We have it all taken care of."

I got out of the car and stumbled up onto the porch, my mind wrestling with her words. "Who's we?" I murmured to myself. Another shiver ran down my spine.

I made it inside and locked the door with trembling fingers. Then I lay down on the couch, and closed my eyes. As soon as my lids were down, I was again taken by a wash of half-memories.

_I am running. Running too fast. I don't know how it's possible for the trees to be moving my so quickly. Something is cold around my waist – cold and hard as granite. I press my face into a shirt, sure that I won't crash into anything. I can trust this granite._

_There is blood everywhere, and I know it's not a good thing. This is worse than the anatomy class that she had to follow me to. At least, then, the body was dead. The blood wasn't warm, hot, pulsing. It was expected that she could hold her breath or run away. But now the blood wasn't so sure. It oozed sickeningly, dribbling, splattering. It was hot, bright. I could smell it like rusty iron everywhere. And it wasn't the blood of a stranger. It was mine._

_I sit alone in a corner, shivering. My body is still sore from the beating I took, but I know it could be a lot worse. I could be dead – or I could be like him. I shudder, and wince. It isn't hard for me to wish that I _was_ dead. I wonder why I'm not. It would have been so easy. I close my eyes and rest my head against the icy concrete wall. I beg for unconsciousness._

_A faceless body looms in front of me, and I smile at her easily. I breathe a name I cannot make out. "What brings you here?"_

_A frown. "Carlisle, this has to stop. I'm sorry."_

_My blood chills. "What do you mean?"_

"_You will have a good life after this. This is a nightmare that you won't have to remember. I'll keep an eye out for you, I promise. But it's better if you don't see me anymore. If you don't know me."_

"_How can I not know you?"_

_A sad smile. "You won't remember this when you wake up."_

_Protesting would be useless._

I jolted awake, pleased that the throbbing had dulled slightly. It was down to the level where Asprin could help. Maybe. I lay there for a few moments, my eyes closed, trying to remember the memories I'd just relived. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard this time. What had Lisa said? _Good. You are remembering._

I started to sit up, but stopped when I heard a noise. I strained my ears – it came from outside, on the porch. But… no one was due home for another two, three hours. It was the sound of footsteps.

There were voices, too. A young woman and a young man. I recognized the cadences of his voice – one of my sons. A lighter tenor. Edward, possibly.

"Carlisle?" he sounded surprised. "Why?"

I started to rise – wanted to go to him, to ask my son if he understood.

"I don't know, Edward. Please calm down and lt me handle this.

This new voice was frighteningly familiar, oddly comforting. As Bella's voice took control of the situation, I settled back down. Bella was here. Everything would be okay. If only I knew how I knew that.

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**Con carino,**

**Lily**

**(Muchos apologies for frustrating you. I know it's a cliffie. I know you hate cliffies. But you know I love them. And you should appreciate what I, you author, am doing. More to come... eventually. I do love you. Haven't forgotten you. Etc. etc. etc. And, unlike you may believe, I have not made it my mission in life to piss you off.)  
**


	22. Some Explaining

**I know i said it'd be a while, but this struck me and my uncle let me rob his computer. In the process of typing this a cat mauled me. You should be appreciative. Sorry for errors - this was really quickly done.**

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Angel Chapter 21

EPOV

"Bella?" I looked at her anxiously as she sniffed at the air. If it wasn't me and my decadent blood, who or what was she smelling?

Her eyes snapped open and she smiled abruptly. "It's just Carlisle. Come on, Edward."

"Carlisle?" I climbed out of the car and she led me up the front steps. "Why?" Carlisle worked late today. There was no reason for him to be home now.

She frowned. "I don't know, Edward. Please calm down and lt me handle this."

"Handle this?" What the hell did that mean? Was there something TO handle?

She put her hand on the doorknob and frowned when it turned - already unlocked. We let ourselves in quietly, and found Carlisle lying on the couch, watching us warily. My heart skipped a beat when I saw how pale he was, and how wide his eyes were.

"Edward? Bella?"

"Carlisle, please forgive our intrusion." Bella took off her coat and smiled warmly at him. "We were blood typing in Biology and Edward fainted at the blood. I thought that it would be better if he came home instead of sitting out the whole school day."

"Yes," he said vaguely. "That's probably wise." His eyes darted from Bella's face to mine, and back again.

"Do you want to come upstairs or something?" I asked Bella, after an awkward pause. What were you supposed to say in this situation? I wanted to get Bella alone so that I could keep questioning her.

She hesitated. "Okay."

"Wait." Carlisle sat up and frowned at us. "Bella, could I speak with you for a moment?"

I stopped breathing, but she shrugged, unfazed. "Of course." She crossed the room and sat. I sat beside her and looked at Carlisle nervously.

"Bella..." He seemed to be groping for words. "Bella, I don't know what's happening. I feel like this is all some deja-vu, like I've been through this all. I keep trying to remember, but I can't. I need some answers."

"I'm sorry, Carlisle, but I'm afraid I have none for you."

"Bella, tell me."

"Tell you what?"

He started to raise his voice. "Bella, I'm not kidding. I know you. Why do I know you?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "I haven't the faintest idea."

"Bella, are you the angel?"

All three of us froze, and then she started to laugh - bitterly. "Is that what you call me? An angel? I would call that mixed up priorities."

"Bella, please. I am begging you. Tell me."

I was surprised by the way Carlisle confronted Bella. He seemed to have no fear of who or what she was. I wondered if he knew. But he had to know! How could he not? He was remembering her very much the way I was learning to see her.

Bella licked her lips, hesitating, and then sighed.

"Carlisle, it's me. Bella Swan. I was roommates with your best friend Charlie at Dartmouth. I dated you off-and-on, but it never really lasted. You didn't notice her at the time, but there was a gorgeous, starry-eyed architecture student with her eye on you the whole time - Esme. I was there with you when you went through medical school - you took me to your dissection once because you were afraid that you needed backup. I told you it wasn't a good idea, but you didn't listen to me. You vomited all over the pink sweater that Charlie gave me that Christmas. You were amazed when I didn't laugh at you."

Carlisle had dated Bella? That struck me as a little odd. He was my... dad. And she was the girl - vampire - that I knew I loved. I guess she hadn't aged at all, but Carlisle had. That was weird. Really weird. I looked between them, wondering if they still had... feelings for each other. They couldn't. Carlisle had Esme now, right?

Carlisle's face was screwed up with concentration, his eyes far away as he worked to understand. So, he wasn't ogling Bella. Good. But why couldn't he understand?

Bella's voice grew more serious. "You probably don't remember any of what happened then, but especially not what happened after. In March a man approached you. He said that he was a scout from a medical center down in Georgia, and that you would be perfect for his program. His name was Robert. You went with him, even though I begged you not to go. You never told me what happened on your weekend visit, but you came back white-faced and terrified. You told me that you never wanted to see him again, but that you weren't sure you could evade him. Again, you refused to tell me why.

"I talked to you, then. I confronted you myself. I told you that I knew all about Robert - that there was a reason that I didn't want you with him. He and I went back a long way. I told you everything that night, Carlisle. And you believed me. After that you trusted my judgment more. You and Charlie were both in danger, and I was working hard to keep you both safe. There were a couple close calls, but things always worked out in the end. Until May."

She closed her eyes and sat very still for a moment, breathing deeply through her nose. I glanced at Carlisle, who watched her carefully, closely, almost as if he were in a trance. He did not rip his eyes from her face. He was almost as pale as she was. I stared between the two of them, wondering, morbidly curious, until Bella's eyes opened again. When she continued talking, her voice was flat and void of emotion.

"In May I was out hunting. I was only going to be gone for a few hours. It was routine. It was nothing to worry about. But Robert had been watching us more carefully than I had thought. He came for you when I was gone. Luckily Charlie was out, but you weren't so fortunate. He took you away that day. It took me almost a week to find you, and when I did it was almost too late. It started out that you were bait for me, but he wanted you too, almost as badly. When he grew tired of waiting, he was going to take you. I only barely got there in time to save you."

"How did you do it?" Carlisle asked hoarsely. He had his eyes closed now, his mouth pressed into a hard line as he remembered what Bella's words painted for him.

"I'm like him, Carlisle." Bella stared at him uncertainly, wondering if her words would be enough. He shook his head blankly. "I'm a vampire."

His eyes snapped open and he gasped. I jumped to my feet, sure that he was going to faint, but Bella held out her hand to warn me, to still me.

"He needs a moment, Edward. It's all coming back to him."

"Oh God. Oh God." His mouth was open in horror. He traced the long scar on his right arm , looking at it with new eyes, seeing it for what it was (I wasn't sure I wanted to know). His fingers shook, and he dropped his hands, leaning forward into his knees and moaning. "Oh God, Bella."

"I'm sorry, Carlisle." She looked at him, stricken, like she wanted to go to him but she was afraid of what he would think of her.

"Why are you back?"

She hesitated. "Because he is, too."

"Charlie...?"

She nodded miserably, and he ran his hand through his hair. "Shit."

"Carlisle?" I asked uncertainly. I wasn't sure quite what just happened, but I knew it was bad. Very bad.

"Robert has Charlie," he said tonelessly.

"Who the fuck is Robert?" Great. They had their own little understanding thing going. But I was still just ignorant old Edward, stuck here in the dark. I wasn't even alive when they had their thing. God, this was convoluted.

"Robert is -" Carlisle started.

"A vampire." Bella cut him off almost angrily.

"What does he want with Charlie and Carlisle?"

Carlisle opened his mouth, but then looked at Bella. Some sick understanding seemed to dawn on his face, and she gave him a tight smile. "Do you -" he started.

"Yes." She said it coldly, curtly.

"Oh." He glanced at me with none of the fatherly compassion I was used to. He seemed a little scared, a little annoyed, and all too understanding. But I saw no sympathy in his face.

"Robert is a vampire that I have known for a very long time. He wants something from me, and he wants something from Carlisle, and he knows that he can get to me through Charlie." Bella paused, suddenly upset.

Carlisle reached a hand out to her un solidarity. She took it, squeezed it once, and let go, smiling bravely.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

I sighed. I had a feeling that no matter how much I asked, they would still find things to confuse me. Was it even worth it?

I reviewed what I knew:

1.) Carlisle, Chief Swan and Bella have all known each other for a very long time.

2.) Carlisle, for some reason, did not remember any of that until just now.

3.) Bella was a vampire. Obvious.

4.) All the rest of us were humans. Except for that creepy Robert guy.

5.) Bella had very deep feelings for Charlie - they had some sort of relationship.

6.) Robert, for whatever reason, wanted Carlisle and Bella.

But that was about it.

"Bella?" I ventured.

"We have time for questions later, Edward," she said wearily, getting to her feet. "Time is short for the important things. We can get to the trivial details later."


	23. Raindrops

**Whoa! Over two hundred reviews on fanfiction. That makes me so incredibly happy. You guys have no idea. You really are the best – all of you. I love you guys so much. So, this chapter is for you. All of you. It a sort of prize, a symbol of my gratitude. I hope you like it, because I really do. A lot. I have a hunch this might just be what you've all been waiting for.

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**Chapter 22 – Raindrops

BPOV

I smiled gently at Carlisle, who still sat on the couch in a state of hazy shock. I'd wondered many times what it was like to be on the receiving end of my power, but I'd never thought much about the negative effect of _remembering_. Surely, that was worse than forgetting.

"Are you alright?"

He shrugged with weak nonchalance. "It's a bit much to digest."

"I'm sure." I wished I'd handled him better in the beginning. It would have made everything so much easier. If vampires could get headaches, I would have had a migraine at that point.

"Bella, please." He waved a hand. "Don't wait around. Charlie needs you."

"But someone has to be here with _you_, too. Give me some time. I can get one of my friends to stay with you."

"You're leaving?" Edward asked. He frowned at me.

"Of course. I have to get Charlie. I don't have a choice." I tapped my foot anxiously. I _had_ to wait until someone could get here. I'd made a mistake in leaving Charlie alone. I didn't need to chase after a million other humans. "Please excuse me, Carlisle, Edward." I made to leave, but Edward got up quietly and followed after me. I pretended not to notice.

"Bella?"

I stood on his front porch, staring out into the rain. I needed to be alone; I needed to think. God dammit, I needed answers. I sat down on the steps of his porch, and buried my head in my knees.

"Bella?" Edward came up behind me and timidly sat beside me. "I need to talk to you. I need some answers."

I did too. But I didn't have any.

"Do you mind if I just, um… babble?"

If I could tune him out. "Sure." I didn't look up.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "I'm really confused. I mean… duh. It's not every day that the girl you love tells you that she's a vampire. But I don't really understand. What really happened with you and Carlisle? There's something you were keeping out. Something I don't understand. Who is this Robert guy? What _exactly_ does he want with you? I don't – Bella?" He trailed off uncertainly.

I hadn't heard a word he said since "the girl you love tells you that she's a vampire." My brain, usually quick and analytical, processed that phrase slowly. The girl that Edward… _loves_?

Oh God, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I shook my head, and a few drops of water slid down my bangs and into my eyes. I wiped the rain away furiously. No. Not love. Never love.

"Did I say something?"

I stared at him in horror. Rain dripped down his nose – it blew at us under the covered porch in frigid, April gusts. He had a very attractive nose. It was delicate, but not quite feminine, a dagger, a blade. It was very straight. His hair was a tangled wet mess of copper-colored strands above his soft, expressive green eyes. He was frowning, confused. I'd never really seen how perfect his lips were.

"No," I whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt my heart contract. NO! This was Edward Cullen. I. Hated. Edward. Cullen. I took a deep breath and winced. The cool, crisp scent of rain made his blood seem warmer, sweeter. Sunshine and honey wafting through sharp, clean rain.

"Bella, please tell me what's wrong." He sounded concerned. He touched my face.

I hadn't loved anyone – _truly_ loved anyone – in over forty years. Of course, I loved Charlie, but that was different. I _had_ to love Charlie. I toyed with loving Carlisle, but it never would have worked. We were too different. And he had Esme. I thought I loved Robert for a very short time. And then I realized that he was a cold-hearted bastard. There was no way that I could have any semblance of feelings for this insignificant, too-tempting human boy.

"Did you say… love?" I managed to choke out.

He became very still. I couldn't bear to look at him, but I felt him shift into a defensive, straight-backed posture. "I'm sorry."

I looked up at him. His face was stricken, too pale. He swallowed nervously and gnawed his lip in a terribly endearing way.

"Why?"

"Did I say something I shouldn't have? I know that you probably love Charlie, or Carlisle, or something. I didn't mean it like that…"

I snorted. It was very clear that he did mean it _like that_. "Not at all."

"So…" He frowned. "So you _don't _mind?"

I sighed. "You smell so good."

"What?"

I took another deep breath and ignored the venom. "The rain. It makes you smell even better." I couldn't look at him; instead, I looked at my hands, folded in my lap.

Edward shivered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." If I could sit here for an eternity, soaking up his sweetness, his warmth, I think I could be happy.

"Bella," he whispered. Very carefully, he leaned into me and rested his head on my shoulder.

I froze. I heard his heart, beating too fast, felt his blood, rushing under the thin layer of skin. I felt his warmth, spilling into me. Slowly, like it wasn't actually part of me, my arm laced itself around his shoulders and pulled him closer.

What was I doing? No! NO! **NO!** I touched his shoulder tentatively, and he made a little hum in the back of his throat. I found myself smiling lightly, and I brushed the hair out of his eyes.

Edward looked up at me, confused.

"Edward, I –" I what? "Do you really love me?"

He flushed. "Yes. I have for… a while. Since you were gone. I didn't like you being away. It made me nervous."

What, after he'd watched me kill a bunch of people? "That… is wrong."

"Why is that wrong?"

Dear, sweet, innocent Edward. "I don't think you understand. How could you?"

"I want to understand." He touched my face uncertainly, and I closed my eyes, just feeling the warmth.

"It's wrong for you to want me. You see what you're supposed to see when you look at me. You see the mask; you see the public image. I'm a predator, Edward. You're supposed to want me. But really I'm a monster."

"I don't care. You're not a monster. What you did in the past is over. If you were still like that I wouldn't be alive right now. Charlie would be dead. Robert would still have Carlisle. You _are_ good, Bella."

"Edward, I _killed_ people."

"To help me."

I stared at him, gnawing my lip. He looked back at me with perfect sincerity, which hurt. No one was supposed to think of me this way. It was fundamentally wrong. But it made my heart feel warmer, lighter. It felt right to have my arm around him like this – protectively, possessively.

"Edward –"

"No, Bella. I don't want to hear excuses. Unless you really hate me or something, I don't care what you are."

"I'm a vampire!"

"I know." He set his face uncompromisingly, his jaw in a tight, fierce line. I smiled a little at how ferocious he looked. "And I'm telling you, I don't care. You're more than just a vampire. You're _you_."

My eyes stung, and a lone drop of rain ran down my cheek like a tear. He wiped it away softly. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying."

He wrapped his other arm around me, and I drew him close enough that I could press my face into his glorious hair. It was soft and damp, and it smelled like him.

"I'm not crying, Edward, I'm just afraid."

"Afraid of what? Of letting me see how much of a 'monster' you are? Bella, it's not a problem."

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid of hurting you. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

"Bella, I –"

I didn't want to hear a complaint, or an argument. I just wanted to be in the moment. Slowly, cautiously, I leaned forward, testing my control at every moment. He looked at me, confused, and I pressed my lips softly to his forehead.

His eyes fluttered closed, and he took an unsteady breath, weaving one of his hands through my hair, pulling me closer. I kissed his forehead, his eyelids, traced the soft lines of his cheek. I followed the line of his jaw, and felt him tense when I came to his neck. I kissed him, right over the place where I could feel his blood rushing under my lips. He shuddered, and I inhaled deeply, losing myself.

"Bella?" he asked hoarsely.

I looked up at him, and saw that his eyes were soft, warm, wondering.

"Yes, Edward?"

"Do you not hate me anymore?"

I bit back a smile. "I never really hated you. I just hated you for being so tempting. I hated you for making me want to lose control."

"And now?"

"Now…" What now? "Now I care about you far too much to hate you." I cared about him? I supposed I did. I was surprised by the words that came out of my own mouth, but they were true.

His eyes were wide. "Do you?"

"Yes." I buried my face into his hair again, somehow relieved by how solidly _there_ he was. "I do."

"But what about Carlisle? Charlie?"

I giggled. He actually thought that I still loved Carlisle? "That was a long time ago, Edward. Carlisle is with Esme now, and he's very happy."

"But –"

"No buts. He's too old for me, anyway."

"I thought you were old enough to be my grandma?"

I giggled again, and he laughed with me. "I guess I am. If that bothers you, please just tell me. I wouldn't want to force you to enjoy the company of an almost senior citizen."

"You're not forcing me to do anything."

I tried to smile at that, but I couldn't help feeling terribly selfish. It was one thing for me to want him, and to want him to love me. But I couldn't let him do that. I couldn't let him love someone who was so undeniably bad for him. "We'll see about that."

"I don't think there's anything to dispute." His beautiful eyes traced my face as if memorizing it. I smiled gently, and he grinned in return. But then he sobered. "Can I… um…"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

The wind had slowed, and the rain fell quietly around us. It pattered a steady rhythm on the leaves of the trees, and stained the porch steps we sat upon black. It made his hair a shining mess, and dripped down our faces like fresh, clean tears. It fell around us as I leaned forward, barely breathing, and stared into his lovely face. It pattered softly as I lifted his chin and he looked up at me without the fear that I expected. And the rain and the grey skies were our only witness when I softly, gently pressed my lips to his and kissed Edward Cullen.

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**So there you have it.**

**Also - this is mostly for the people on twilightarchives, but it applies to fanfiction people, too. Anyone who has questions about the story, wants personalized email updates, wants to contact me, and wants to join a *snigger* mailing list, please send an email to EdwardsLilyUpdates. It's a yahoo address but the site won't let me post the whole thing. It's up on my bio. I promise not to spam you, to share your email address with others, or use your address for non-professional reasons. Thank you.  
**


	24. I'm Not Crying

**Quick A/N: I have to tell you this. You have NO idea how tempted I was to turn this into an intense smutfic. It would have followed the exact recipe of one: Bella and Edward meet. Bella and Edward go through life with incredibly awkward sexual tension. Bella reveals that she is a sexy sexy dangerous beast. Edward only wants her more for that. After torturing Edward enough, Bella kisses him and sexes him up. And then he becomes her disgustingly submissive slave for the rest of his life. All their other problems fall away and it's just the two of them in their little love cave. That kind of story is all over fanfiction. If you're like me, you've come across dozens of them. They're pretty gross, but they're like a car accident. They catch your attention and you just can't look away.**

**But no! I will not sink to that level! Bella and Edward are not sex toys and I am not a writer of lemons. So here's a note to all you smutfic writers: While it is fun to make them do as you please, Bella and Edward and the rest of the Cullens ARE unique creations of Stephenie, and should be treated as such. Yes, as the authors of your own fanfictions you can control them, to a certain extent, but let us not get so absorbed in our own worlds that we do not remember who they are. If you are going to make them so OOC that we only know who they are by their names and their physical descriptions, write a story with your OWN characters. Steph did not give them to us so that we could use them in any way we wanted. It's great that you have the creativity to give them completely different personalities. Why not make them fully your own.**

**Sorry. Rant. A quick note to Sarah Zitter. I got your review but not your email. Fanfiction does not allow web addresses of any sort. Please, if you have questions/concerns, email me at EdwardsLilyUpdates (at) yahoo (dot) com. Thank you.**

**Also, I am sorry for the delay. My life is kind of hell right now. I hope that summer vacation will let me finish this story before school starts. And I may be looking for a beta. PM me if you are interested. I'm sorry for my complete disappearance from ff for a while. I'm slowly discovering that fics are getting boring, and I'm only keeping writing for all of you. :) Love you bitches.

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**Angel Chapter 23**

EPOV

Bella kissed me softly once, then twice. I wanted badly to kiss her back but feared that our proximity was tempting her enough already – she didn't need me to make it any worse. My heart raced and I breathed raggedly, tasting her on my tongue, smelling the sweetness that came off her skin, intoxicated by every part of her. She sighed, her breath cool and delicate against my mouth, and pulled away. Her eyes were huge and dark – her… vampire, um, instinct (?) made her tense, excited. I held very still until she let go of me and buried her face into her hands with a soft moan.

"What's wrong?" I watched her motionless frame anxiously, wishing she would respond, say something, DO something. "What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Her voice came out muffled. "That's what's wrong." She shuddered. "This is wrong. It's not supposed to be like this."

Rejection washed through me; she regretted this. "I'm sorry if you feel like I made you…" I stared down at my hands awkwardly. "I mean, you didn't have to if you didn't want to…" My cheeks were flaming.

"No, Edward," she almost growled. "It's not that I didn't want it. I wanted it. Too much." She didn't look at me, but looked out into the sheeting rain. "God, I'm such a fool."

I watched her quietly as she worried at a strand of her hair, looking unseeingly out into the forest, gnawing her lip like she might chew it off. She seemed too deep in thought to bother. But I wanted badly to bother her. I wanted to ask her exactly what she'd meant when she said that she didn't hate me if she clearly regretted my presence so much. I also wanted to curl up into a ball and die so that the horrible, aching emptiness inside me might go away. I bit my tongue hard. It would not be appropriate to cry right now.

We sat together for a long moment, silently and awkwardly. I felt tension rolling off her in waves, and the uncertainty I felt was like a brick in my stomach. I was almost afraid to breathe, in case I was doing something wrong.

When she spoke, it made me jump.

"Edward." Her voice was like a whisper through the soft pattering of the rain. She didn't look at up me. She looked straight ahead into the thick trees. "I owe you an apology. I owe you much more than that. But I don't have time to apologize to you the right way, or to try to explain myself. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. This is all my fault."

"Bella –"

"Shush. I'll… explain everything later. I promise you."

I was bursting with questions, with accusations, with desperate pleas that hung heavy on my tongue, fighting against my firmly pressed together lips. I bit it all back as she stood halfway, dusting the dirt and leaves off herself.

"I know it's hard right now. And confusing." Bella looked at me for the first time since she broke the kiss. Her eyes were already far away, as her mind no doubt jumped to the next step, the next task. Again, though it was irrational, her distance stung me. My mind was still spinning from the kiss, my heart pounding; my whole body felt like it was on fire. And yet, she really cared that little for me that one kiss – our _first_ kiss – didn't even matter.

"It's okay," I mumbled, looking away.

She reached out and touched my face, turning me back to look at her. My cheeks burned under her cool touch. "Edward, I want to ask you something very serious now. I could make you forget this all, if that's what you want. We could go back to being just Bella and Edward, and not having to worry about vampires and humans or any of this. If you were to forget this, you wouldn't have to remember anything – from the very first day I came. It would be like I'd never existed. Considering the circumstances, I think you might favor that option."

"Why would I do that?"

"Sometimes, people find the trauma and stress too much to bear. Some people prefer to live in the oblivion of forgetfulness, because it is easier to live an ignorant life than to deal with the pressure and uncertainty of being informed. I'm not trying to say that you're weak, just that it might be prudent for you to forget about me."

"But…" What, so was this Bella's way of letting me know that there was nothing between us? Telling me that I would do better to pretend that nothing had ever happened? I could see where she was coming from – her last act of compassion for me would be letting me forget her rejection. It was almost tempting. But our moment together, even if it would be our only moment together, was not something I was willing to forget.

"It's not like it would have to be forever," she said gently, cupping my chin in her other hand. "It would be best if it _were_ forever, but if you prefer, I could make this all go away just until it's over."

So tempting. But I couldn't do that. To either of us. "No," I said, too forcefully. "I'd rather not be under mind control, thanks."

She blinked at me. "Mind control?"

I stood, too, shoving away from her gentle hands. "Bella, I'm not an idiot. Isn't that what you did to Carlisle, too? Is that just how you do things? If you get to close to a human guy, you make him forget that there was every anything between you? I'm not letting you change the course of my life by controlling what I can't and can't remember about my own past. Maybe it's easier for you, but you don't know how torn up he was about not remembering. He remembered bits and pieces, in dreams, He knew something was wrong, and it drove him crazy."

"That's not what I'm –"

"I don't care about your stupid excuses," I told her, hoping that my brain would get the hint. I wasn't really mad at her, I don't think. Mostly at myself, for letting myself get carried away. "I'm done with excuses, Bella. Either tell me the truth or leave, but you can't take my mind away from me."

"Edward, I think you misunderstand me. I'm not trying to _control_ you or take over your mind or anything like that. I'm just trying to make it easier for you."

"_Easier_ for _me_? God, I can't believe you." Angry at her or angry at myself, I was only getting madder. "You're such a saint, aren't you Bella? _I would never hurt you, Edward. I only want what's best for you. Look how __**fucking special**__ I am – I don't kill humans. I'm that selfless. _So selfless, in fact, that you won't sacrifice to tell me anything."

She looked like she might cry. She lowered her voice and turned her back to me. "What do you think I'm sacrificing, Edward? Personal time? Are you really under the impression that I would rather be at home with my feet up and a good movie playing than be here right now? Actually, I'm sacrificing much, much more than that. People's _lives_. As far as I know now, it's only Charlie. So far. But it could be more any day. Carlisle. You. One of your siblings. They could be _killing_ Charlie right now, and I wouldn't know it. Because I'm here, arguing with you." Her voice trembled.

Maybe she was right. Maybe. But in my mind, her rightness did not excuse her unreasonableness. I knew that I should apologize, but I couldn't make myself do it. I just sat and stared at her, still sort of wishing that I could cry. Or scream. Or something.

Abruptly, she straightened. She pushed her hair behind her ears, adjusted her jacket, and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Edward, please do get some rest," she said coldly. "I know that you've been through a lot today, and even if you feel well enough now you would do well not to overexert yourself. You should go back inside, I think. Please tell Carlisle that I apologize. It's far past time for me to leave; I'm afraid that I may have overstayed my welcome."

Something inside me lurched unpleasantly. Mad as I may have been, I didn't want to see the back of her. "You're leaving?" I said, my mouth dry.

"I have to find someone to keep an eye on you while I'm gone," she said. "I can't leave you all alone now, can I? I will see you at school, Edward."

"Bella, please. Wait!" I reached out like I could hold her back, but my hand found contact with open air: she was gone. I sat down on the porch step again and the wet wood soaked my ass, but I didn't care. I don't know how long I sat there, staring out into the empty forest like Bella might step out of the trees at any moment, ready for forgiveness. My mind was still kind of numb and my lips were still kind of tingling. I couldn't quite accept what had just happened – or maybe what had failed to happen.

The screen door behind me creaked open and Carlisle's footsteps approached me. I was vaguely aware of his hands on my forearms, pulling me to my feet, leading me inside out of the cold wet. "Come in, Edward," he said. "You shouldn't be sitting out in the weather if you're still getting over illness."

Almost what Bella had told me. I jerked out of his hands. "I'm not ill. There's a difference between being genuinely ill and passing out because you're a fool. I think I know which one I am."

"Edward." Strong, warm arms wrapped around me and my father held me like he hadn't since I was eleven and Mike Newton had punched me in the face at recess after Jessica Stanley had asked me to her birthday party, and not him. The stubborn teenager in me wanted to push him away and be manly, but the unusually present blubberer in me wound my arms around Carlisle and let him hold me as I started crying.

He led me to the couch and pulled me into his arms, rocking me quietly as I cried it out. Even in my irrational, girly grief, (I was sure that Emmett would be calling me a fairy if he'd been in the room) I had the decency to feel mildly embarrassed about bawling my eyes out in front of my father. Especially since I knew that I was crying over a girl. No. Not a girl. A beautiful, dangerous angel.

"She's not worth it," he murmured into my ear.

I jumped a little; we'd been sitting almost in silence for at least fifteen minutes while I expressed my deep masculinity. "What do you mean?"

"Bella. Edward, I've been in your place before." He smoothed my hair fruitlessly. "Bella is strong, and beautiful, and _independent_. It's wonderful while it lasts, but chances are it won't. She has too much of a sense of duty to let herself get sidetracked. I've seen it happen before – I wasn't the only one who tried and failed to make it with her."

I squirmed a little. It was weird – really weird – to talk to my dad about the girl he'd been in love with years ago and the girl I was in love with now.

"Maybe you'll be different, but I hope to god not."

"Why not?" I wiped my eyes discreetly on the afghan on the back of the couch. He pretended not to notice.

"What do you think would happen if you and Bella ended up together? Humans and vampires aren't supposed to mix, Edward. It would be complicated. I would hate to lose you, even knowing that you were happy."

I honestly hadn't thought much about the future – I'd only found out what Bella was a few hours ago, though it seemed like an eternity ago. "Honestly, Dad, I don't think I have much of a chance with Bella. I don't know what she would see in me – she certainly seems like she knows not to waste her time on me."

"Oh, Edward." Carlisle laughed softly. "I think Bella knows that she's not wasting her time on you. I think she's just afraid of how things could go wrong. And, please pardon me for saying this, I believe that she has much more pressing things on her mind than romance right now."

"But –" But she regretted kissing me. She pushed me away. She left without saying a proper goodbye. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wasn't interested.

"Please, listen to me." He took my face in my hands and looked me hard in the eye. "I know that you probably feel much more strongly for Bella than I ever did. I couldn't be happier to be married to Esme now. But believe me when I say I might know what I'm talking about. Bella has seen things in her life that we'll probably never be able to understand. She's incredibly mature, even for her age. All her life, she's been hell bent on protecting the people she loves – especially Charlie. I think she doesn't always know how to handle being close to people. She's more used to protecting them than spending time with them. I'm not saying that you couldn't have a chance with her but I wouldn't beat yourself up about it if she doesn't get too warm and fuzzy every time the two of you are together. Right now, her way of expressing her affection is by doing everything she can to make you safe again."

My cheeks felt hot. I couldn't meet Carlisle's eye. "Maybe that's her way of showing affection for _Charlie_."

Carlisle sighed. "If Bella hasn't told you that story yet, it's not my place to comment."

Anger flashed through me again. "You know what's going on between her and Charlie?"

He looked weary. "Oh, Edward."

Apparently, that was all he could say, in a horribly understanding tone. I shoved myself to my feet and walked away from Carlisle coldly, hoping that my frustration was clear in my posture. Keeping my head very high and my shoulders very straight, I marched upstairs without another word, closed my door quietly, and lay back down at my bed to stare up at the ceiling and hate everything that was going on.

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**I should mention that this chapter is dedicated to ellibobelli. I'm putting up another poll on my profile tonight, too. I hope to have the next chapter up soon. I'm sorry, again for the delay. It took even longer than I thought because I was in the hospital for a family emergency. I'm just… it's a little too much for me right now. Sorry to all of you. To de-stress, could we try for at least 20 reviews? Love you all.**


	25. Angry

**For all the beautiful people in my life who make it so worth living. Even if I treat them like shit, even though I make them put up with my total insanity, they are there with me until the very end. In particular, this is for Elli, for Bec, and for Nora and Katie (even though you don't read fan fics). I love you all so much that I don't know if you can appreciate how deeply grateful I am for each and every one of you.**

**Also, a big thank you to all my readers (even though I only got EIGHT reviews on the last chapter!!!) for being virtually beautiful people. Many of you have been with me patiently from the very beginning, taking the time to read and review every chapter. It is you who make me smile every time I check my email. It is for you that I write. It is for you and your complete satisfaction that Angel continues. I am, as always, your devoted servant.**

**Now that my mushy stuff is out of the way (because I need to get rid of all the sentimental shit that's been bottling up inside me of late), I ask your forgiveness for my inexcusably long bitch sessions in my A/Ns, and hope that they haven't completely turned you off to me and my stories. Thank you again. And now, Chapter 24 of Angel.**

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EPOV

It was very hard to get up that day. I'd had a rough night, what with being unable to fall asleep in the first place, and then weaving in and out of uneasy nightmares once sleep finally took pity and claimed me. I could feel the oppressive weight of the humidity and the clouds and the rain pressing in through the window, and I felt like that, with the heavy fear of having to face Bella that day, was pinning me firmly down to my bed and refusing to let me go to school. I was more than okay with that.

But then dear Alice took it upon herself to scream through my door, "Edward! Get your lazy ass out of bed and come down to drive us all to school. Even Rosalie is ready, and we don't want to wait anymore. Bella will be at school today. You'll be fine."

I had no choice. I dragged my "lazy ass" out of bed, tripped into some clothes that vaguely matched, and fumbled downstairs. I was quite late. Even Rosalie was ready, and scowling at me like she knew exactly what kept me in bed. She'd made no effort to hide her disapproval of Bella driving me home yesterday, and she mocked me almost cruelly for passing out in class. Most of my siblings were sympathetic. Not Emmett. Emmett laughed at me. I sulked through half the afternoon.

"Finally," she said scathingly, leaning back into Emmett. "I was just going to drive your car myself, but Alice said you might hurt me."

Might was an understatement. I squared my shoulders and walked through them to the door, marching out into the rain without looking back to see if they would follow. I knew they would. I was the one who had to drive us to school every day. Rosalie babied her convertible, Emmett was afraid of hurting his Jeep, and Alice refused to let anyone touch her Porsche. Jasper just wanted to get along with everyone, so I doubted he would have minded if we just walked, but Carlisle insisted that I suck it up and take the Volvo. He told me it was better not to be ostentatious in a town where so few people had as much as we did, and that taking the Volvo would make us look like we weren't trying to be stuck up about having money. I hoped people would understand that was just Rosalie being Rosalie.

It was Emmett's turn to sit up in front with me (I was the only one who was allowed to drive _my_ car), which was nice because no one in the back complained too much about being squished by his bulk. It wasn't nice because he knew that it annoyed me when he played with the dials on my dashboard and he knew that it annoyed me when he did things with the sole purpose of annoying me, and therefore knew that he would royally piss me off if he started playing with my radio. "What music do you want, guys?" he boomed.

I tried to tune him out.

Unfortunately, tuning out Emmett meant tuning into my thoughts, none of which were very pleasant. My dreams wove through my mind, still very vivid, and still horrible.

_I was kissing Bella. Or rather… Bella was kissing me. I had my hands pinned behind my back; I was tied to a chair, completely unable to move… as she kissed me deeply and passionately. She ran her hands through my hair, down my body, making me squirm with the heat, the pressure, the need. I wanted her like I'd never wanted anything before as she pushed her cool hands flush to my blazing cheeks, under my shirt to my burning spine. I wanted to reach out to her, to pull myself closer to her intoxicating scent, to tangle my fingers through her long, silky locks, to feel the strong, cool body that moved above me. Just when I thought I might explode…_

_She turned around, her hair beautifully in disarray, her chest moving up and down with her quick breaths and reached for the figure that was suddenly standing right behind her. Charlie Swan. He held her to him and she pressed herself as close into him as was physically possible; their lips locked and I had to sit and watch as she kissed him and he was allowed to kiss her back. Charlie turned into Carlisle and Bella looked back for half a second to grin at me before she turned her attentions to my father. Then Bella became Esme and I was privy to something far more intimate between my parents then I'd ever cared to see. I tried to close my eyes, I tried to look away, but I couldn't. I had to watch, and my eyes were glued wide open when a dark figure moved out from behind the trees and jumped onto Carlisle, shoving him to the ground, tearing its teeth into Carlisle's throat as blood gushed everywhere and Esme screamed. I screamed too, louder and louder until the figure turned to me, too, nameless and faceless and even more horrifying for that. I kept screaming…_

…until I woke with a start, sweating and panting.

"Jesus Christ Edward!" Alice screamed. I slammed on the breaks and only barely avoided hitting Connor's huge SUV as it pulled in front of me. The Volvo lurched unpleasantly and the seatbelt cut sharply into my chest, holding me back, biting into my skin.

"Watch where you're going, Edward," Rosalie sniffed, rubbing her collarbone with a scowl. Emmett shot her a warning look, and she shrugged coldly. I sat for a moment, unable to make myself put my foot back to the pedal, my heart racing. How could I have been so stupid, so absorbed in my own thoughts that I couldn't even drive my own car?

Emmett started laughing suddenly. "That was great, little brother. Relax, Rosie. We're all okay. Look how scared Edward looks. Hah. Sorry, Edward. You should see the look on your face." He sniggered.

"Drop it, Emmett," Jasper said sharply. We all looked at him in surprise, and he flicked his hair out of his eyes, totally unconcerned. "I think everyone's being too hard on Edward right now. Let the poor man be."

"Aww." Alice snuggled into him. "He's so sweet."

Rosalie looked out of her window pointedly. "Can we please just get moving? We're starting a traffic jam."

I pulled into a parking spot hastily and they all spilled out of the car. As Alice muttered something to Jasper, Emmett went around to take Rosalie's arm and to whisper soothing words into her ear. I grabbed my books and prepared to stalk off obviously to let them know that I was frustrated with all of them but Alice came skipping up to me and took my hand. "Walk with me, Edward."

"Alice, your class is on the other side of campus."

She smiled brightly. "Edward, we're twenty minutes early, as usual. I have plenty of time."

I took my hand back from her indelicately and scowled. "Fine."

Alice's smile widened and she trailed me, practically skipping in place to keep up with my sluggish pace. "I think we need to talk," she said, too seriously for someone who was bouncing up and down at my elbow.

"I think we don't." I shoved my damp bangs out of my eyes. "I think, Alice, that it's time for you to mind your own business. You don't know half of anything that's going on. And frankly, it's none of your concern."

She finally grimaced, when she saw the way that people were staring at us. Two of the perfect Cullen kids were arguing. What an oddity. "You're right," she said quietly. "I don't know anything. And that's why I need you to trust me and talk to me. You've talked to Carlisle, which is a start. But I think that you might do well to suck it up and come out of your hole a little bit. There are people who love you and care about you, and hate to see you so worked up when we know we can't help you."

I snorted. "Not Rosalie."

"Rosalie's worried about you too... she's just not sure how to express it. She's used to being the center of attention and she doesn't quite know how to handle your sudden… popularity."

"She can get over that fast," I grumbled. "Anyways, I don't want to be the center of attention. I want you all to leave me alone. Is that really too much to ask?"

"In our house?" She grinned up at me. "Edward, please. Between me and Emmett, and an unusually perceptive Jasper, the only one you can really hide yourself is Rosalie because she's so self-absorbed. Please don't tell her I said that. She won't like that."

"You've got yourself a deal, if you can back off and leave me alone."

"No deal then." We both slowed automatically when we were behind the government building; no one ever came back there, so we knew that we were alone. She sat on the edge of a soggy picnic table while I paced in front of her. It took her a moment to find the words she wanted, but finally she looked like she was just going to suck it up and tell me what she was suddenly dying to say. "Edward, I had another dream…"

My heart sank. "Another one?"

Her little face was grim under her dark, spiky hair. "Another one," she affirmed in an almost whisper.

"What –?" I couldn't make myself form the full question, but she understood.

"I don't know. It was too much of a blur. Too much. Too fast." She closed her eyes, and when she spoke again it was with rapid urgency. "Edward, you have to promise me something."

"Okay."

"Something's going to happen. I don't know what or who, but I know it'll be bad. You have to promise me that no matter what happens you'll trust Bella. Don't try to go after her, please. She can take care of herself, and she knows what she's doing. You'll just make things…" Her eyes were moving quickly under her thin eyelids, rapidly back and forth as she frowned, a crease forming in her forehead; she read deeply into a future that was so clear it scared both of us, and that I could barely imagine it.

"Make things worse?"

"No." She frowned, her eyes still moving quickly behind their curtains. "I don't think so. Just more complicated." She looked at me. "Edward, what's going on?"

"I told you, Alice. It's none of your business and nothing to worry about. So back off."

She set her chin. "No. I won't. I happen to think that you don't understand the consequences of your actions yet, but they will affect us all. Please stop being so selfish, Edward. We do want to help."

"I already talked to Carlisle, so it shouldn't be any of your concern. You're taking this way further than it actually needs to go – misinterpreting your information."

"Maybe if I _had_ information…"

We stared at each other for a long moment, and then her eyes widened as she gasped and pointed behind me. I turned around reflexively and saw a flash of white against the dark trees of the background, and a swaying branch. I might have imagined it, but I thought I heard the rapid pattering of feet on the scuffly permanent layer of debris on the forest floor.

"Edward?" Alice asked quietly.

I sat down beside her slowly, not taking my eyes off the spot in the trees where I was almost positive something – or someone – had stood only moments before. He'd moved too quickly for me to see, but no one who wasn't a vampire was ever pale enough to leave a white streak in his wake. My head spun as my body reacted defensively, tensing.

"Edward are you okay?" She pressed her cool hand to my cheek and turned me to look at her, concern in her face.

"Fine." Where was Bella? Whatever happened to her being here to protect us? Unless that _was_ Bella. I bit my lip anxiously.

"Edward, please, this might be important. You _have_ to tell –"

"Why?"

We both jumped, and my heart went so fast I thought it might explode. I almost cried aloud as someone stepped back into our little corner.

"Relax, Edward," said Bella's voice. "My god."

I calmed instantly (and hated myself for it) but Alice remained stiff and angry. "Bella. I thought you said that you would deal with Edward when I talked to you yesterday."

"Deal with me?"

Bella glanced at me only for a moment before looking back at Alice. "I did talk to him, Alice. You shoved him at me in the cafeteria, remember? I don't know how I could have gotten out of that one, although I'm sure you saw the options."

"_Deal with me?!_"

"Relax, Edward." Alice didn't even spare me a glance. "What do you mean I saw it, Bella? I don't understand."

Bella deliberated for a moment, and then shook her head. "You don't need to understand."

"But…" My sister's face was alight with earnest – I knew that she was constantly looking for an explanation for her strange dreams. It wasn't normal for someone to dream so accurately about the future. She was afraid to talk about it aloud, lest she sound crazy, but I knew how she felt. "Why can't I understand?" She crossed her arms firmly across her chest. "Can't I know anything?"

Bella glanced at me with exasperation. "If Edward doesn't want to talk to you about it, then it's none of your business."

My jaw dropped. "Bella! I had assumed that you wouldn't want me talking about it when you didn't give me permission. I mean… It didn't seem like something you would want out there."

She smiled faintly. "Thank you, Edward, but I do trust your judgment. I think that, having been raised by Carlisle, the two of you are likely trustworthy. As much as you can be, at least."

"Oh." I felt really stupid now. "Sorry. I guessed…"

"It's quite alright." She smiled again, more easily, before looking back at Alice. "Talk to Edward. I'm sorry. It's a rather personal matter."

Like she didn't realize how much it would hurt for me to hear her say that. I looked away.

"I thought you said you could trust me," Alice said bitterly.

Get used to disappointment, sweetheart. I ground my teeth. "So, Bella," I said, in what I hoped was a conversational tone that dripped with hidden meaning and sarcasm, "was your little mission yesterday successful?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Really, Edward? Is now the time for that?"

Alice looked at my curiously, and I was seized with inspiration. "Anything you can say in front of me you can say in front of Alice."

Bella sighed and made a show of checking her watch. "Anything I can say to you needs to be when I have more than ten minutes and you're not acting like a two year old."

"A two year old?"

"A two year old." She tossed her hair. "I'll see you later, Cullens." And then she was gone.

Alice continued to stare at me, trying to read my mind or something. Her little face screwed up with concentration, she clearly wondered what the fuck I'd just talked about – how could Bella and I get so nasty in thirty seconds of conversation.

"It's not too hard, once you get to know her better," I grumbled.

She continued to stare. "Just how well do you _know_ her, Edward?"

"Not as well as Carlisle does," I couldn't help but grumbling.

A crease formed on her forehead as Jasper appeared. "What are you two so upset about?"

I moaned. "This is the last thing I need right now. Someone else interrogating me. I'm going to class. You two can go bitch about me or something."

They watched me run off with narrowed eyes and frowning faces. I started my classes that day with a permanent scowl.

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**Many apologies for Angsty!Bitchy!OOC Edward, into whom I seem to be channeling my emotionalness. I challenge everyone who got this chapter from an alert they took the time to subscribe to to take the time to write me a one-liner review. **

**Also fyi might still be beta-hunting. PM me if you're interested/if you have questions or concerns/need someone to talk to. :)  
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**Love you all.  
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